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A friend of mine in Chapel Hill has a sister who just got diagnosed with Lyme. Apparently there is a stigma about an NC doc diagnosing it though and she couldn't get diagnosed by her docs here. She ended up going out of state to go to the doc so she could get diagnosed and treated properly. I'd like to give the NC docs the benefit of the doubt and think that they are just not as familiar with Lyme and that's why they couldn't properly diagnose it, but my friend is convinced that there is some sort of organized conspiracy among docs here that they won't diagnose it because they want to maintain that we don't have Lyme in NC or something.
I don't know about a cover-up, but Lyme disease is not an easy to diagnose. The NIH's National Institute of of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is still working on coming up with a sure-fire reliable test procedure. At the moment, it seems they do a ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) test and if the results are positive, they do a Western Blot to confirm.
Dr. Pearce at Leesville Animal Hospital does a really good job. They've got a huge boarding facility as well, if that is something you would need down the line.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Robyns.Nest
I took my pup to the vet yesterday and mentioned our move to NC in the near future. He very strongly suggested getting her on a monthly regimine of a de-worming pill. Specifically designed for heartworm but also acts against the more general worms dogs get. The second thing he mentioned is to vaccinate yearly for lyme disease. My vet can take care of both here before we move (from socal) or we can do it within a month af moving to Raleigh. I'm so glad he mentioned this as I would not have thought to ask...so my questions to you...
1. Is there anything else I should be aware of that is regional and possibly harmful to my dog?
...or kids for that matter
2. Can you please recommend a good, knowledgeable vet in the Leesville rd., N. Raleigh area.
Monthly heartworm here was the first thing our new vet recommended! I'm so sorry to hear of your dog's illness and hope he's better in no time.
Ticks this year are much worse than the previous 3 summers we've been here. My neighbor behind us had her 4 year old test positive for Lyme Disease a few weeks ago.
Its the first year we're "going toxic" and treating our property as we've pulled more ticks off of us this year than the past 3 put together. Maybe the drought is the root of the increase this year?
I don't know about a cover-up, but Lyme disease is not an easy to diagnose. The NIH's National Institute of of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is still working on coming up with a sure-fire reliable test procedure. At the moment, it seems they do a ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) test and if the results are positive, they do a Western Blot to confirm.
ELISAs and Westerns are not considered difficult assays as far as I'm concerned. An over-the-counter pee-on-a-stick pregnancy test is basically an ELISA - very straight-forward. A Western isn't that big of a deal either - we do them all the time here, though they take longer than an ELISA.
Maybe low, but not "no." My 6 year old child was diagnosed with Lyme Disease 2 days ago in Chapel Hill.
Contrary to the experience of someone else who posted in this thread, the dr. saw the rash and knew exactly which steps to take.
It was caught early and is being treated aggressively with antibiotics.
Please don't tell people there is "no" risk though. They may miss a case of Lyme Disease in themselves or their children. It is here.
We're both correct. Risk is based on frequency. Some counties have low risk, i.e. number of confirmed cases, while some counties have never had a confirmed case.
They confirmed a statewide total of 31 cases in 2006. The 2007 numbers are still being verified by the CDC.
Then there must be tons of unreported cases. Since they usually put you on antibiotics before actually getting test results back, they might not count those as "full blown lyme disease" cases. I'm sure any nurse at the UNC hospitals could rattle off a list of at least 30 cases they saw last summer.
Then there must be tons of unreported cases. Since they usually put you on antibiotics before actually getting test results back, they might not count those as "full blown lyme disease" cases. I'm sure any nurse at the UNC hospitals could rattle off a list of at least 30 cases they saw last summer.
I have no idea why UNC hospitals health care providers would choose not to report their suspicions to the state, but it is a requirement here and many other states.
NC Reporting Form - http://www.epi.state.nc.us/epi/gcdc/manual/reportforms/lyme.pdf (broken link)
We're both correct. Risk is based on frequency. Some counties have low risk, i.e. number of confirmed cases, while some counties have never had a confirmed case.
As far as the state as a whole goes, the risk is less than 1/2 of 1% per 100,000 population, according to the CDC. They confirmed a statewide total of 31 cases in 2006. The 2007 numbers are still being verified by the CDC.
I would say we're not both right. You said there was little to NO risk. There is little risk perhaps, but NO risk is incorrect.
Many people don't know they have Lyme Disease for months, or sometimes years so although reported rates are certainly lower than the NE, it does not mean that the reported rates are the actual numbers. In fact, every Lyme Disease website I've been on starts out by saying that the numbers of Lyme Disease cases probably far exceed reported cases.
I understand NC does not have the same risk as CT. That said, it is not "no" risk.
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