Why we're hearing more about Lyme disease this summer

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Why we're hearing more about Lyme disease this summer By Alice Park Senior Health Correspondent It’s summer, which means vacations, leisurely outdoor activities—and Lyme disease. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been tracking rising numbers of cases over the past few decades, due to a number of factors, including the push into suburban areas where the Lyme-spreading ticks flourish. Climate change also plays a role: It may be expanding the tick’s natural range. Here’s what Lyme experts want you to know about the latest season: Testing for Lyme doesn’t work the same way as testing for COVID-19. Lyme tests detect the antibodies people make against the disease-causing bacteria, and not the bacteria itself, which is why it may take several weeks for infected people to test positive. Not every tick carries the Lyme bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi, and not every infected tick transmits the bacteria to people. It takes ticks 36 to 48 hours of feeding on human blood to transmit the bug. Researchers are currently testing vaccines and treatments that would protect people from getting sick even if they’re bitten by an infected tick. READ MORE  Share This Story

What Else to Read We Can Prevent Overdose Deaths If We Change How We Think About Them By Ryan Hampton Most life-saving medicine is uncontroversial and ubiquitous. Overdose prevention should be treated the same way, writes Ryan Hampton. Read More » What It Really Means to Have Intrusive Thoughts By Angela Haupt There's more to the story than what you've seen on social media. Read More » Put Your Shoes Back On. Here’s the Problem With Going Barefoot By Angela Haupt Podiatrists say going barefoot can lead to many painful (and gross) health complications. Read More » Do Massages Have Real Health Benefits? By Markham Heid The perks of a good massage are more than skin deep. (Originally published in 2018.) Read More » Why You Shouldn't Love Your Kids More Than Your Partner By Belinda Luscombe Research strongly suggests that children whose parents love each other are much happier. (Originally published in 2019.) Read More »

One Last Read Meet the 'Bone Doctor' Many of the world's great museums have literal skeletons in their closet. As the Washington Post documents, perhaps none has as dark a legacy as the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, where Ales Hrdlicka, a Smithsonian anthropologist, collected the bones and body parts from thousands of indigenous people to prove his theories of white supremacy. Read More »

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