Blog #2: What effect does climate change have on the lyme disease?

Health   Apr 12, 2016 by Fiona

What effect does climate change have on the lyme disease?

The lyme disease is caused by bacteria transmitted by ticks.  

The symptoms can be divided into three stages:

1. A rash appears as a single circular red mark that spreads outwards. Flu like symptoms then occur, such as headache, fever, chills, tiredness, neck stiffness and general aches and pains.

2. If untreated weeks or months after the bite, problems can occur with the joints, heart, nervous system and cardiovascular system. Rashes appear on parts of the skin where the tick bite did not occur.

3. After months to years of infection, a persistent (chronic) lyme disease is developed. 

As the earth's average temperature increases by climate change, it creates an ideal habitat for these ticks. An ideal habitat is usually 85% humidity and has a temperature above seven degrees Celsius. The winter season forces the larvae in the nymphal stage to remain dormant until spring, but an adult tick no longer needs to hibernate during the winter. These ticks may become active on warm winter days, creating a larger population the following year. With an earlier winter thawing, larvae in the nymphal stage will become active sooner. The warmer winters will also allow for a higher survival rate of the white-footed mouse, a popular host for the ticks, meaning an increased tick population in the spring and summer.

- http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/health/case...

- http://www.medicinenet.com/lyme_disease/article.ht...

- http://patient.info/health/lyme-disease-leaflet

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