In Copyright Since September 11, 2000 This web site is in no manner affiliated with any Kaiser entity and the for profit Permanente Permission is granted to mirror this web site - Please acknowledge where the material was obtained. About Us | MCRC|CONTACT | Contact For LYME Disease Information kaiserpapers.com/lyme | kaiserpapers.com Lyme Disease in Interior Western States November 2010
MAP | ARIZONA | IDAHO | MONTANA | NEVADA | UTAH | ONLINE SUPPORT GROUPS |
Lyme disease information for Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, and Utah is very limited. The disease has been reported in all of these states but the numbers of cases have been few, either because the disease is indeed rare or reporting procedures are flawed.
Reporting requires meeting CDC testing criteria which are based on East Coast Lyme cases. The differing strains of Lyme disease found on the West Coast may make this reporting procedure of questionable value and misleading to both patients and physicians. For this reason, the relatively few CDC cases that have been reported for surveillance purposes are omitted.
Health authorities in these states tend to be minimally informed about Lyme disease and other tick-borne infections. Information for online support groups is provided at the end of this article.
Mapping the national distribution of blacklegged ticks in 1998. This map clearly shows a trend from southern California to southern Nevada, northernArizona, and western Utah. An interesting aspect of this map is that it is based on data compiled by David Dennis and others at the CDC. At the time, David Dennis was the Lyme disease information officer at the CDC. It was also done at a time when Lyme information was more truthful, before the information on Lyme disease became distorted in about 2003 to accommodate insurers, pharmaceutical companies, and the failed Lyme vaccine as well as CDC employees with Lyme disease testing and vaccine patents. http://wildlifehealth.tennessee.edu/lyme_gradient/map.htm
Where tick-borne diseases are found (from IDEXX, a veterinarian testing laboratory). Readers should note that in states where Lyme disease is downplayed by health authorities or not generally recognized, veterinarians tend to not order Lyme disease tests. Hence, results are directly impacted by the low numbers of Lyme disease tests ordered. http://www.dogsandticks.com/
diseases_in_your_area.php
Arizona’s denial of Lyme disease is contradicted by the canine cases reported by IDEXX (link above). It is also contradicted by the CDC report mapping the presence of Ixodes ticks, the ticks that carry Lyme disease, in Arizona in the article referenced above - “Mapping the national distribution of blacklegged ticks in 1998.”
Arizona Department of Health Services An important update, April 2013, by the ADHS acknowledging Lyme disease in Arizona and presence of the vector tick. http://www.azdhs.gov/phs/oids/vector/lyme.htm Tina Garcia’s story states the situation in Arizona very well. http://www.leaparizona.com/
Arizona Lyme Disease Association Support groups are located in Phoenix, Tucson, and Northern Arizona. http://www.azlyme.org/Support%20Groups%20Arizona.htm
Information provided by Idaho health care authorities is virtually nonexistent. Lyme disease and other tick borne infections are reportable in Idaho.. It is presumed that Lyme cases must meet CDC testing criteria which results in very low numbers of reported cases. http://www.publichealthidaho.com/pdf/reportable-diseases-poster.pdf
Panhandle Health District http://www.phd1.idaho.gov/clinical/diseaseinvestigation/ticks.cfm
Idaho Lyme Disease Support Group http://www.lymenet.org/SupportGroups/UnitedStates/Idaho/ILSG.shtml
Until very recently, Montana has not had a reported case of Lyme disease. According to research, the Ixodes ticks that are known to harbor Lyme disease have not been found in Montana.
There have been a significant number of reports about an illness mimicking Lyme disease in and around the Yellowstone National Park area. A recent hypothesis is that Lyme disease may be carried in another form by another type of tick. It may also be a reason why CDC recommended tests fail to pick up the disease and that Lyme treatments work for this illness.
Montana is to be commended for their openmindedness and investigation of this manifestation.
Montana Public Health 2007 https://kaiserpapers.com/lyme/pdfs/MPH-Tickborne-April-Added-Iss.pdf http://www.dphhs.mt.gov/PHSD/prevention_opps/pdf/MPH-Tickborne-April-Added-Iss.doc
Montana Lab Tries to Identify Tick-Borne Disease, New York Times 2003 http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/20/health/montana-lab-tries-to-identify-tick-borne-disease.html
Mysterious tick disease afflicts Montana 2003 http://www.wildlifedamagecontrol.net/diseases/tickdisease.php
Tick borne disease in Montana, The Missoulian 2004 http://www.canlyme.com/montanalyme.html
Out-of-state bites boost Lyme disease cases, Billings Gazette 2009 (Note; Dr. Paul Mead of the CDC offers his biased and misinformed views.) http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/article_94efaacc- 6807-11de-b19a-001cc4c002e0.html
Sleuthing Mysterious Tickborne Disease a Chilling Endeavor 2004, Montana Dept. of Public Health https://kaiserpapers.com/lyme/pdfs/tickbornedisease.pdf http://www.dphhs.mt.gov/newsevents/newsreleases2004/march/tickbornedisease.shtml
Bitterroot home to tick that carries bacteria for relapsing fever - NBC report January 2015 http://m.nbcmontana.com/news/
bitterroot-home-to-tick-that- Tickborne Relapsing Fever, Bitterroot Valley, Montana, USA - CDC report February 2015 http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/carries-bacteria-for- relapsing-fever/30766310 article/21/2/14-1276_article Information for Lyme disease in Nevada is scarce.
The CDC map above, “Mapping the national distribution of blacklegged ticks in 1998,” shows the southern counties adjoining Arizona and Utah as having Ixodes ticks. The study “Spacial Patterns of Lyme Disease Risk in California” (http://www.ajtmh.org/cgi/content/full/75/4/669) shows the counties near Lake Tahoe as being favoraable habitat for the Ixodes pacificus tick that carries Lyme disease. The IDEXX map of reported canine cases shows cases noted in Nevada, fewer than Arizona and Oregon but greater than Idaho and Washington.
There is little doubt that Lyme disease is in Nevada, but with no specific studies the extent cannot be determined.
Nevada State Health Division http://health.nv.gov/BFHS_EHS_AdditionalHealthInfo_Lyme.htm
Nonprofit warning Utahns about Lyme disease risk, symptoms Information about preventing and correctly identifying Lyme disease This is an excellent article about Lyme Disease in Utah. http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=34851088
Utah Lyme Disease Alliance (ULDA) Lyme disease, scientific name BORRELIOSIS, IS FOUND in Utah. http://www.lymeutah.com/ Ticks of the Genus Ixodes in Utah - 1960 This excellent study by Brigham Young University, although dated, compiles Ixodes tick information for Utah. This study was done before Lyme disease was recognized in the United States. Pages 37-39 provide detailed maps of Ixodes tick distribution in the 1950's. Without intervention, tick populations can increase both in terms of numbers and in geographical distribution. https://ojs.lib.byu.edu/ojs/index.php/BYUSciBullBioS/article/viewFile/3526/3863
Mitochondrial DNA sequence variation in Ixodes pacificus http://www.nature.com/hdy/journal/v83/n4/full/6886110a.html Note; Examines genetic variation in tick populations of western states.
Map of areas studied - http://www.nature.com/hdy/journal/v83/n4/fig_tab/6886110f1.html#figure-title This map clearly shows western Utah as endemic for Lyme disease.
See also the map referenced above in the “Maps” section. “Mapping the national distribution of blacklegged ticks in 1998.”
From The Utah Department of Health – March 2010…
“Most people who have Lyme disease in Utah were actually bitten by a tick from another state.” http://health.utah.gov/epi/fact_sheets/lyme_fs.htm
The Utah Department of Health is obviously not well informed about Lyme disease. They rely on CDC test recommendations including the extremely poor Lyme ELISA screening test. https://kaiserpapers.com/lyme/20-reasons-why-lyme-disease-is-undiagnosed.html The Lyme ELISA is based on a single East Coast strain. The strain variations in the West may make the test even less accurate or totally insensitive.
The Lyme disease information provided by the Utah Department of Health has many incorrect statements such as “About 70-80% will have a red macule or papule that expands slowly in a circular manner, often with a central clearing (referred to as a “bulls-eye” rash).” Studies have shown that the rashes are much fewer than 70-80% and that the rash is not always a classic “bulls-eye.” The information is also otherwise flawed. http://health.utah.gov/epi/diseases/lymedisease/physicianlymedisease.pdf
Woman walks again after missed Lyme disease diagnosis Nov. 2012 (The comments following the article may also be helpful.) http://www.ksl.com/?nid=1010&sid=22869439
Chronic Lyme disease hobbles Spanish Fork woman Dec. 28, 2009 http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705354505/Chronic-Lyme-disease-hobbles-Spanish- Fork-woman.html?pg=2
A comment found on the Internet… I'm in Alpine. I'm CDC positive as is stated on my lab reports through LabCorp. This disease is in Utah and has been for many years as is seen in the case of Jennica Noorlander in March 1993, Deseret News, and a woman sited in a case study entitled, "Stillbirth Following Maternal Lyme Disease." This study involves a woman who was bitten on a hike in the Wasatch Mountains in 1984. It is written by Alan MacDonald, MD, Jorge Benach, PhD. and Willy Burgdorfer, PhD in 1987 in the New York State Journal of Medicine, Volume 87. Willy Burgdorfer just so happens to be the person the Lyme bacteria was named for as he is the one who found the bacteria.
Utah Lyme Disease Support Group http://www.utahlyme.org./
This is a reference and support group for Lyme (and associated diseases) patients, their care givers, medical professionals, and anyone else interested in knowing more about this disease and how to cope with it. We are a service of the Arizona Lyme Disease Association (AZLDA), a branch of the national Lyme Disease Association (LDA). Members: 174 Created: 4 years ago
Idaho Online Lyme Support is a virtual meeting place and source for information and emotional support for people with Lyme and other tick-borne diseases living in Idaho. 19 Members, Archives: Membership required
Montana Lyme Support is a virtual meeting place and source for information and emotional support for people with Lyme. Please note: the moderator of this group caught Lyme in Montana!!! Members: 16 Created: 3 years ago
Nevada Online Lyme Support is a virtual meeting place for people with Lyme and other tick-borne diseases living in Nevada. Members: 19 Created: 3 years ago
Utah Online Lyme Support is a virtual meeting place for people with Lyme and other tick-borne diseases living in Utah - even if you acquired it somewhere else. Members: 61 Created: 3 years ago
FOR REFERENCE: Geographic Distribution of Ticks in the United States - CDC Maps 2012 http://www.cdc.gov/ticks/geographic_distribution.html kaiserpapers.com/lyme