Latest news with #Lyme
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Lyme warriors and supporters brave the weather for annual walk
TOWN OF GEDDES, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — About 150 Lyme warriors and supporters showed up in full force for the Legs Against Lyme Walk at Long Branch Park to wrap up Lyme Disease Awareness Month. The walk, put on by the Central New York Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Alliance, offered education and resources about tick prevention, removal, and Lyme and other tick-borne diseases. 'It's all about prevention from our end,' Jonah Cummings, the Education Coordinator for the CNY Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Alliance, said. 'So, talking about proper repellents, the tick removal process, we have educators here to teach people about that. We have experts from our board, doctors and scientists who can catch you up on the latest research and things about Lyme disease.' The walk is all about moving the conversation about Lyme and other diseases forward. 'It's a very complex disease sometimes, and hopefully we're making it a little easier to digest with events like these.' Jonah Cummings This was the fourth year of the Legs Against Lyme Walk, and each year it gets a little bit bigger, adding some new people and welcoming back others who have been walking since day one. 'I walk for my daughter. My daughter has had Lyme for almost 14 years now, and it wasn't discovered early enough, and she's doing great now, but she suffered for a long time,' Doug Pinckney, who has done this walk every year, said. All of the money raised at the walk will go towards events to educate the people of Central New York on Lyme and other tick-borne diseases. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New York Post
6 hours ago
- Health
- New York Post
Up-tick? Long Island seeing more of the blood-suckers this year
Long Islanders better brace for a bloodthirsty summer. Populations of several tick species across both Nassau and Suffolk counties have exploded since the fall, experts told The Post. 'I have friends working in the state and county parks, and the talk is, 'Oh, my God, it's so bad this year!'' said Janine Bendicksen, director of wildlife rehabilitation at Sweetbriar Nature Center in Smithtown. Bendicksen said Sweetbriar has taken in more goslings this spring than in previous years, with groups of 10 to 20 coming in at a clip. 4 Tick populations appear to be booming on Long Island. Oleksandr – 'They were lethargic. Their feet were curling up, and they'd flip over, because they were dying,' she explained. 'All of a sudden, we saw all of these tiny black ticks coming off of them.' Sweetbriar's team realized the baby birds were anemic from the bloodsuckers. 'Goslings and ducklings never have ticks on them, because ticks tend to go for mammals,' Bendicksen said. 'That is an indication that, 'Uh-oh, it's gonna be a bad season.'' The Lone Star, American Dog, and blacklegged tick — which can transmit a bevy of illnesses such as Lyme disease, a bacterial infection that causes flu-like symptoms — have all been on the rise across Long Island, experts said. They can also spread potentially-fatal bacterial infections such as ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis, along with Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Powassan virus. 4 Deers are among the many animals that help spread ticks on Long Island. Dan – Several factors account for the population explosion, including weather and host animal abundance. Long Island had a rather mild winter, which can increase tick activity, said Dr. Scott Campbell, Suffolk County's entomologist. A wet spring also tend to bring out more ticks. 'There's a lot of moving parts,' said Campbell. 'There's no silver bullet, but multiple factors are playing a role.' Rodent populations are also on the rise — potentially caused by a dip in the number of predators that feed on them including owls and snakes — helping boost tick numbers. In Suffolk, there were 3,299 reported cases of Lyme disease in 2023 — up from 2,668 the year before. Only 697 cases were reported in Nassau County in 2023, while data from the prior year was not immediately available. Over 21,000 Lyme disease cases were reported statewide in 2023. 4 Ticks carry a multitude of infectious diseases. meepoohyaphoto – And more than 89,000 U.S. cases were reported across the US in 2023, the CDC reported. Ulises Galdamez, 36, owner of Long Island Tick Sprays in Hampton Bays, told The Post this is the first season since launching his business in 2016 that his phone started ringing in early March. 'Normally, April is when we get people reaching out to us,' he explained. 'This year's going to be bad, because we've definitely had more people calling us this year than any other year before. We've been going nonstop — it's shaping up to be our busiest season so far.' 4 Ticks love tall grass, and wind can carry them towards sunbathers. Joe Trentacosti – Bendicksen suggested wearing 'socks on the outside of your pants' to keep the critters off exposed skin. Keeping rodents and larger mammals away with fences and other measures is also important she said. And keep a lint roller handy — they're excellent for removing ticks, she added.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Scientists issue dire warning after discovering why viruses and bacteria could soon become more dangerous: 'Urgent need for global cooperation'
A new study predicts that warming global temperatures could make it harder to fight infections caused by bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms. A team of Chinese scientists has projected that if we continue down a path of heavy reliance on planet-warming fuels, antimicrobial resistance — the ability of microorganisms like bacteria and viruses to survive against the drugs designed to treat them — could rise by more than 2% globally by 2050. The paper, summarized by the University of Minnesota, also predicted that if countries are able to meet sustainable development goals, AMR levels could be reduced by about 5%. But even if some of the sustainable development goals are met, the authors say an overheating planet could still raise AMR levels due to factors like more extreme weather events that bring heavy precipitation and flooding, or altered animal habitats and natural microbial ecosystems that facilitate the spread of zoonotic and vector-borne diseases. "These challenges highlight the urgent need for global cooperation in developing and implementing strategies to address the interconnected and evolving threats posed by climate change and AMR," they said. AMR "puts many of the gains of modern medicine at risk," according to the World Health Organization, which said it makes infections harder to treat and makes other medical procedures like chemotherapy riskier. In addition to death and disability, the organization also projects AMR could result in $1 trillion in additional healthcare costs by 2050, and $1-3.4 trillion in gross domestic product losses per year by 2030. Still, it is just one of the many health concerns associated with rising global temperatures. For instance, scientists say a warmer planet is likely to blame for an uptick of infections from "brain-eating" amoebas, which led to several deaths in India and Israel in 2024. Plus, warmer temperatures are helping disease-carrying ticks spread further west and north in North America. For example, Lyme disease risk doubled in the Canadian province of Quebec and tripled in Manitoba between 2000 and 2015. A number of governments are taking steps to address planet-heating pollution, which will also help clean up the air we breathe. For instance, Wales is banning most new roadway projects to cut down on traffic pollution. You can help by decreasing your reliance on dirty fuels like gas, coal, and oil. One way to do this is by riding your bike or taking public transportation more often. You can also sign up for community solar. Do you worry about air pollution in and around your home? Yes — always Yes — often Yes — sometimes No — never Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Irish Independent
13 hours ago
- Health
- Irish Independent
Meath man's plea for help for his wife who has had life taken from her by chronic Lyme disease symptoms
That's how long Meath native Anne-Marie has been living and dealing with the debilitating effects of chronic Lyme disease, the symptoms of which have robbed her of so much of who she used to be. Now though, they are hoping that a GoFundMe page set up to help her receive promising – albeit expensive – treatment at the Klinik St Georg in Germany. This was described by Daire as 'the only chance to get some of her [Anne-Marie's] life back.' A lover of all things outdoorsy and described by Daire as being in the 'prime of her life' at 33, Anne-Marie would once have thought nothing of heading off up Ireland's highest mountain, Carrauntoohil, if the mood took her. She was trained in social care and was heavily involved in supporting women and children fleeing domestic violence, survivors of the Magdalene laundries, and children with special needs. Follow Independent Meath on Facebook Now though, the 36-year-old struggles to make to it the end of her street – approximately a 200-metre distance – and even if she does, the only reward for her efforts is a week spent languishing in bed, drained by fatigue. Daire added that she is now almost fully dependent on him and others for even the most basic of needs, including showering and eating. It was in February of 2022 that Anne-Marie first began to feel unwell, eventually becoming bedbound and barely able to muster enough strength to eat or even speak. Unable to sleep for more than a few hours, even with the help of medication, her weight dropped to a mere 48kg, just 7.5 stones. What followed was three years of the couple going to see countless specialists including cardiologists, neurologists, immunologists, infectious disease specialists, gastroenterologists, sleep and respiratory experts, and many more. As well as this, Daire said that she became so frail she didn't have the strength to put a jumper on herself or pull the blankets up over herself. She had severe light and sound sensitivity and has had to spend most days and nights in a dark room with noise-cancelling headphones and an eye mask on, in pain, and unable to sleep. Having exhausted all of the treatment options available here in Ireland, the couple have moved back in with their parents in an effort to save money and have been forced to turn to crowdfunding to help raise enough money to get Anne-Marie the potentially life-saving treatment at a prestigious clinic in Germany. Daire, also a Meath native, spoke to the Irish Independent this week about the fundraiser – it currently sits at just over €26k raised of their target amount of €62k – and explained, in heartbreaking fashion, just exactly what this disease has cost them both. "It [Anne-Marie's illness] is our everything. It's something that we manage sometimes from hour to hour, day to day. "The disease takes everything from you. Anne-Marie was a very active person before all this. Down in Killarney, we used to love hiking and we would have lived right next to one of the access points to Carrauntoohil. We'd have been up there any time the sun was shining,' he said. "Now though, the simple act of walking to the top of the street which is 200 metres maybe, this will leave her in bed for the rest of the week,' he continued. Getting sick right at the tail end of COVID, Daire said, was possibly the worst timing as he believes that early Lyme disease symptoms were crucially missed by medical professionals here in Ireland. "I think the first 14 months were probably the hardest. We just didn't have a clue, we were grasping at straws and relying on a system that doesn't know this disease well and it was also at a time, in the country, when the health service was firefighting the last of the bad COVID waves." "To be sick in that climate, we were being told that some of the more ambiguous symptoms of Lyme were probably just COVID and we ended up in this misdiagnosis loop and you start losing time,' he said. With almost half of the money now raised from the fundraiser, Daire is, thanks to talking to others who have been through the treatment in the clinic that Anne-Marie can get back to something resembling her normal life. "There's a high percentage of success there. The clinic has some people who don't respond but we've spoken to quite a few Irish people who have been there. One of them actually was a young lady from Kerry, Karen O'Shea. She went over there to the clinic in a wheelchair and after the treatment, she was able to walk onto her flight. It was a huge night and day turnaround for her." "A lot of the patients from the clinic that we've spoken to are all in the same boat. They might not have the full lease of life that they had before but at least they are no longer constrained/stuck in their bedrooms or prisoners in their own home." The treatment, he says, will be intensive. "They will give the person a triple course of IV antibiotics on the week leading up to a hypothermia session where they'll then put the person under anesthetic before bringing their core temperature up to 42 degrees. This is right on the threshold of what the human body can tolerate. They'll keep it at this temperature for multiple hours with the idea being that the heat is able to access places that the antibiotics can't go to and that the Lyme likes to hide in." In total, the in-patient treatment in the clinic will be five weeks long and there will be six months of follow-up after this when Anne-Marie is at home. All money raised from the treatment will go towards:
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
How to protect yourself from health issues during tick season
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — As temperatures get warmer, tick season is arriving in the Miami Valley. Tick bites are known for potentially causing Lyme disease, which can lead to lifelong health problems. To learn more about possible health issues and how to prevent tick bites in the first place, 2 NEWS spoke with Premier Health APRN Brittany Voland. Watch the full interview in the video player above. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
