Spring is on the way in the Northern Hemisphere so it will soon be time to put away winter gear and get ready for other activities. Warmer weather also brings out ticks. Understanding the life cycle of ticks and tickborne illnesses is a critically important part of prevention. While exposure to ticks can’t be prevented, the practice of a few simple field-based protocols can significantly reduce the risk of actually contracting a tickborne disease. We’ve compiled some of the best resources from the Center for Disease Control and other sources.
Wilderness Medicine Blog
Centers for Disease Control Lyme Disease Resources
Brochures and Educational Materials
NEW! Trail Sign ( PDF – 1 page, 359KB)
Lyme Disease Continuing Medical Education for Clinicians
Protect Yourself from Tick-Borne Diseases. – (PDF – 1 page, 782KB)
Lyme Disease: A Public Information Guide – (16 pages, 4.94MB)
Tickborne Diseases in Massachusetts, a physicians’ reference manual – (26 pages, 2MB)
Tick Management Handbook: An integrated guide for homeowners, pest control operators, and public health officials for the prevention of tick-associated diseases. – (84 pages, 8,800KB) (From Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven CT)
Lyme Disease: The Facts, the Challenge – (29 pages, 407KB) (From U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES National Institutes of Health)
Information about repellents:
Scientific Articles
Prevention
Prevention of Lyme disease.
American Academy of Pediatrics. Committee on Infectious Diseases.
Pediatrics. 2000 Jan;105(1 Pt 1):142-7.
How Can We Prevent Lyme Disease?
Edward B. Hayes, M.D., and Joseph Piesman, D.Sc.
(Access granted courtesy of New England Journal of Medicine)
Ecology and Transmission
The emergence of Lyme disease.
Steere AC, Coburn J, Glickstein L.
J Clin Invest. 2004 Apr 15; 113(8): 1093-1101.
Surveillance for Lyme Disease — United States, 1992–2006
MMWR,October 3, 2008 / 57(SS10);1-9
Lyme Disease — United States, 2003–2005
June 15, 2007 / 56(23);573-576
Treatment and Testing
Infectious Diseases Society of America.
Clin Infect Dis. 2006;43:1089-1134
Practice parameters for the diagnosis of patients with nervous system Lyme borreliosis (Lyme disease). Quality Standards Subcommittee of the American Academy of NeurologyNeurology, 1996 Mar;46(3):619-27.
Notice to Readers: Caution Regarding Testing for Lyme Disease.
MMWR ,February 11, 2005 / 54(05);125
Treatment of Lyme Disease
The Medical Letter, Inc. Volume 47 (Issue 1209) May 23, 2005
Article reproduced with special permission of The Medical Letter
(3 pages, 55KB)
Case Definition and Report Forms
Lyme Disease Surveillance Case Definition (revised Jan 2008)
Lyme Disease Surveillance Case Report Form
-For Public Health Officials Use
(2 pages, 737 KB)
