A Study of Lyme Disease in New Jersey
Just by living in the world, human beings are susceptible to disease. Many diseases -- for example, influenza and tuberculosis -- are spread when bacteria or viruses pass from one person to another. Other diseases are acquired genetically from one's parents, such as cystic fibrosis. Some diseases, such as heart disease and osteoporosis, develop as humans age. Others humans get from the environment; examples are lead poisoning and skin cancer due to exposure to the sun. Finally, there are diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans. Lyme disease is one such disease. Cases of Lyme disease, which is transmitted to humans and pets by the bite of a tick, are steadily increasing in areas such as the Northeast region of the United States. At present, there is no vaccine for humans; the best way to prevent Lyme disease is to take precautions against being bitten by a tick and allowing the tick to remain attached to the skin long enough for the infection to be transmitted. The story of Lyme disease in the United States began in 1975, when two mothers, Polly Murray and Judith Mensch, alarmed by the great number of cases of joint inflammation in the their communities of Lyme and Ease
FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE HIGH INCIDENCE OF LYME DISEASE IN NEW JERSEY The best way to arrive at or exclude a diagnosis of Lyme disease is to examine three aspects of the patient. The first is to determine if the patient exhibits any of the above symptoms. The second is discover whether or not the patient is at a high risk of contracting the disease. This factor takes into account the environment in which the patient lives, works, or enjoys his recreational activities. It may also include whether or not the patient has a pet that may have brought the ticks into the house (16:41). The third factor to consider before diagnosing Lyme disease is to perform laboratory tests. The Second National Conference on Serologic Diagnosis of Lyme Disease recommends a two-test approach to determine an active disease or a previous infection. A physician should perform a sensitive enzyme immunoassay (EIA) or immunofluorescent assay (IFA). If a patient tests positive on an EIA or IFA then the physician should follow up with a standardized Western immunoblot (15:937). First, the disease was seasonal, occurring most commonly in the summer and much less so in the middle of the winter. In geographic areas such as Connecticut, these findings suggest that the virus was either a summer virus or an infection carried by and insect or a tick (7:35). 8. "Lingering Lyme Disease." Science News. 7 Jan. 1995. 11. It is inevitable that the cases of Lyme disease will continue to increase in New Jersey until more people become aware of the seriousness of the disease. In recent years, the media has been instrumental in providing the public with pertinent information concerning the symptoms and risk factors involved in the disease. At present, there is no vaccine protecting humans against Lyme disease. The best way to protect oneself against contracting Lyme disease is to prevent a tick from having the opportunity to transmit the infection.
Some common words found in the essay are:
RESERVOIRS Lyme, EIA IFA, Island Jersey, DISEASE JERSEY, Haven Steere, , Connecticut River, District Columbia, lyme disease, Lyme Disease, Laboratories Burgdorfer, infectious agent, disease jersey, diagnosis lyme, lyme disease jersey, diagnosis lyme disease, left untreated, national conference serologic, remain active, spirochetes ticks, diagnosing lyme disease, chronic symptoms, feed animal, conference serologic diagnosis, effective bacteria,
Approximate Word count = 2580
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)
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