Summer Bugs on the Rise Along with Their Health Risks - With the warmer weather sweeping the country, the bugs of the summer are starting to come out in full swing.
This includes mosquitoes, bees and ticks. For most people, the bites or stings from these bugs are a mere annoyance, but for a few, they can be life-threatening. In some cases, the effects of a bug bite may follow a person for the rest of her life. That is true in my case. A tick bite that occurred when I was seven years old turned into chronic Lyme disease. It has been 20 years since that tiny little bug burrowed in and bit me and the effects have been devastating.
"West Nile virus is the main concern in the U.S. Although cases have dropped in the last decade, the CDC recorded 45 deaths from West Nile last year" reports Lauran Neergaard of The Associated Press.
In the United States, we are most likely to be bit by a mosquito than stung by a bee or bitten by a tick. Most mosquito bites will cause itching and a bump at the bite site. This is due to histamine. In a few cases every year, mosquito bites cause a disease that is known as West Nile Virus. This virus can be severe and deadly for some people and it most often seen in the later summer months. If you are infected by this virus, you may experience a variety of symptoms, such as abdominal pain, headache, rash, fever, nausea and muscle aches. More severe symptoms include muscle weakness, confusion, coma and stiff neck.
The deer tick is responsible for transmitting Lyme disease. "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention counted more than 35,000 confirmed or probably cases of Lyme disease in 2009, the latest data available" reports Ohio.com.
Lyme disease, when caught early, is generally treated with a course of antibiotics. It usually has a characteristic bull's-eye rash, headache, muscle pain, fever, lethargy and chills, though, not everyone experiences symptoms. I experienced no symptoms. There was no indication I had Lyme disease at all. In fact, it took nearly a decade for any symptoms to begin to show.
I was around 18 years old when I started to have joint stiffness, memory loss, chronic fatigue, sleep issues, frequent headaches, joint pain, increased sensitivity to light, numbness and tingling, confusion and swollen joints. This condition is not curable. The arthritis and joint issues, memory issues and other long-term complications will never resolve. They are managed, but do interfere with my life and since I also have multiple sclerosis, life can be difficult at times because a lot of the symptoms are similar making them twice as intense.
"At least 40 people a year die from allergic reactions to stings from bees or other insects. Potentially life-threatening reactions occur in fewer than one percent of children and three percent of adults" reports the Miami Herald. A bee sting can be life-threatening for those with an allergy. If you have a life-threatening allergy, an Epi-Pen can literally save your life. Mine is never farther than an arm's length away. ( news.yahoo.com )
This includes mosquitoes, bees and ticks. For most people, the bites or stings from these bugs are a mere annoyance, but for a few, they can be life-threatening. In some cases, the effects of a bug bite may follow a person for the rest of her life. That is true in my case. A tick bite that occurred when I was seven years old turned into chronic Lyme disease. It has been 20 years since that tiny little bug burrowed in and bit me and the effects have been devastating.
"West Nile virus is the main concern in the U.S. Although cases have dropped in the last decade, the CDC recorded 45 deaths from West Nile last year" reports Lauran Neergaard of The Associated Press.
In the United States, we are most likely to be bit by a mosquito than stung by a bee or bitten by a tick. Most mosquito bites will cause itching and a bump at the bite site. This is due to histamine. In a few cases every year, mosquito bites cause a disease that is known as West Nile Virus. This virus can be severe and deadly for some people and it most often seen in the later summer months. If you are infected by this virus, you may experience a variety of symptoms, such as abdominal pain, headache, rash, fever, nausea and muscle aches. More severe symptoms include muscle weakness, confusion, coma and stiff neck.
The deer tick is responsible for transmitting Lyme disease. "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention counted more than 35,000 confirmed or probably cases of Lyme disease in 2009, the latest data available" reports Ohio.com.
Lyme disease, when caught early, is generally treated with a course of antibiotics. It usually has a characteristic bull's-eye rash, headache, muscle pain, fever, lethargy and chills, though, not everyone experiences symptoms. I experienced no symptoms. There was no indication I had Lyme disease at all. In fact, it took nearly a decade for any symptoms to begin to show.
I was around 18 years old when I started to have joint stiffness, memory loss, chronic fatigue, sleep issues, frequent headaches, joint pain, increased sensitivity to light, numbness and tingling, confusion and swollen joints. This condition is not curable. The arthritis and joint issues, memory issues and other long-term complications will never resolve. They are managed, but do interfere with my life and since I also have multiple sclerosis, life can be difficult at times because a lot of the symptoms are similar making them twice as intense.
"At least 40 people a year die from allergic reactions to stings from bees or other insects. Potentially life-threatening reactions occur in fewer than one percent of children and three percent of adults" reports the Miami Herald. A bee sting can be life-threatening for those with an allergy. If you have a life-threatening allergy, an Epi-Pen can literally save your life. Mine is never farther than an arm's length away. ( news.yahoo.com )
No comments:
Post a Comment