Rashes From Lyme DiseaseWhat's next on the menu for Connecticut's Lyme disease-carrying deer tick? Dr. Douglas C. Waite, infectious disease specialist, told Dudley residents at a program there last week that “Connecticut's tracking of Lyme disease suggests a northward migration. My message to you tonight is: Look out. They're coming your way,” Dr. Waite said. Dr. Waite's warning to southern Worcester County residents was prompted by what is happening just south of Webster and Dudley in the 12 towns of Windham County, which includes Putnam, Thompson, Woodstock and Killingly. With a population of 105,000, Windham County has a rate of Lyme disease of 296 cases per 100,000 people. Dr. Waite says that could be the highest rate of the disease per 100,000 people in the world. The rate was actually higher- 386 per 100,000- in 2005, the drop probably due to the deer ticks' two-year life cycle, according to Dr. Waite. Worcester County had a rate last year of 5 reported cases per 100,000. Barnstable County had 72 cases per 100,000. While Lyme disease in the United States is most commonly found in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and the Upper Midwest regions, Massachusetts' rates have been far below those of Connecticut, where the disease was identified in 1995 in Lyme, Conn. Connecticut last year had a Lyme disease rate of almost 98 per 100,000, with a total of more than 3,200 cases. Massachusetts had a rate of 12.5 per 100,000 people, based on about 800 cases total. Other Connecticut counties may have more Lyme disease cases than Windham County, but they also have many more people, making for a lower per-capita rate of the disease. Connecticut has tracked Lyme disease rash since 1995. It is in Windham County where the per-capita rate has increased most, Dr. Waite said. As elsewhere, it is following rivers north, in this case, the Quinebaug and Shetucket rivers.Dr. Waite, medical director of infectious diseases at Day Kimball Hospital, Putnam, also practices at Hubbard Regional Hospital, Webster, and is a clinical instructor at University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester. “I see a ton of it,” he said of his Day Kimball practice. “But I only see it occasionally at Hubbard.” Dudley Health Board member James Brinker said he urged the board to sponsor the talk by Dr. Waite because he was aware of Connecticut's Lyme disease statistics. “I have seen more ticks myself this year,” Mr. Brinker noted. But, he said, public awareness of the disease in Southern Worcester County is low, and he was disappointed that only about 18 people heard Dr. Waite speak. He said Dudley's cable access channel will broadcast a tape of the presentation. Dr. Michael Mcguill, Massachusetts state public health veterinarian, said Massachusetts has improved reporting of Lyme disease in the past few years, sending information to doctors and health boards. But, with tick infection riding deer north from Connecticut, the state will step up efforts to inform the public, he said. Dr. Mcguill said “Massachusetts officials are aware of increasing Lyme disease rates along the Connecticut border communities, but we're seeing more in Hamden and Berkshire counties than Worcester County”. |