Welcome to the Lyme Disease Intervention
Program Website!
For the latest and most up-to-date research
that is funded by NJSDHSS please go to:
The Lyme Disease Intervention Program is a
community-based study that is focused on the education and prevention of Lyme
disease in Mendham Township & Borough. The New Jersey State Health
Department chose Mendham Township & Borough for the study because it is a
wooded, suburban community in a county with a high Lyme disease incidence rate.
The Lyme Disease Intervention Program provides community-wide education to the
intervention communities.
What is Lyme disease?
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that is spread by the bite of a certain kind of tick, often called the deer tick. Lyme disease is transmitted by ticks that feed on deer and small rodents, such as field mice. The ticks can attach themselves to humans and pierce the skin for a blood meal. As they feed, they infect humans with spirochetes (spiral bacteria) that spread outwardly, causing the red, circular, and expanding rash characteristic of many, but not all cases of early Lyme disease.
What are the symptoms?
Lyme disease can lead to potentially
serious health problems. Lymedisease is characterized in early phase by a
distinctive skin lesion known as erythema migrans (EM) which first
appears as a red, raised area, but tends to expand in size over time, and may
develop a centralized clearing. Single or multiple lesions often accompanied or
preceded by a variety of other symptoms including headache, fever, fatigue,
malaise, joint pain, stiff neck and nausea. The disease has an
incubation period of between 3 and 30 days, though 20 to 40% of infected people
may never develop the rash.
Within weeks or months of the appearance of EM (early phase
Lyme disease), neurological and cardiac symptoms may develop. During latter
phases of Lyme disease, which may occur weeks to years following onset,
patients will suffer swelling and pain in the large joints, particularly the
knees. In both early and advanced phases of Lyme disease, symptoms are often
recurrent and may become chronic in untreated individuals. If you suspect that
you may have contracted Lyme disease, contact your physician immediately.
Treatment
Oral antibiotics are usually effective in treating Lyme disease and preventing the long-term complications. The antibiotic used depends on the patient and the extent of the disease.
Protection
For specific recommendations on how
you can prevent Lyme disease, please consult the following sections:
Sponsored by:
The Bernards Township Health
Department
Funded Through:
A grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and
The N.J. Department of Health & Senior Services