Tick-borne diseases such as Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi, Borrelia Miyamotoi), Anaplasmosis, Babesia, Rocky Mountain Spotted fever, Relapsing Fever, Alpha Gal, Erlichiosis, Powassan, Tularemia, Tick Paralysis are all here in Maine and are transmitted primarily through the bit of a deer tick, dog tick or lonestar tick. Less than 40% of those infected with Borrelia burgdorferi (aka Lyme Disease) will get what appears to be the classic “bulls-eye” rash. The other tick-borne disease will not present by classic rash but some by raised, red, inflamed bite sites (which is mostly a histamine reaction from your body, not indicative of the infection). Many East Coast and New England states are seeing the rise of diseases carried by the dog ticks so why would Maine be any different?

For those who know me well, much of what I have been sharing with you in my column is now heavily being reported by other media outlets at both state and national levels. It nice that people are finally getting it but are they really?

I have been doing this long enough and hear from enough people of how they are constantly being bitten by ticks, pulling them off their pets, seeing them in their homes and although it is being said with disgust, when questioned about prevention, the conversation drops off into dead silence.

Another conversation I have many times over is,”How can you help me afford my treatment? My insurance won’t cover it” or “I do not have any insurance and I can not afford the treatment”. Let me tell you, this is a very common conversation and one that I don’t wish on anyone. To be by tick, misdiagnosed or improperly treated leading to chronic debilitating symptoms of which you can not afford the treatment for. What other option do you have?

Maine has been endemic for years and now we are seeing a steady growth of not only new cases of Lyme disease and the disease carried by the deer ticks, but also the dog ticks and the diseases that they carry are penetrating our state borders. I reached out to Senator Jim Dill who heads up the Tick Lab at the University of Maine Cooperative Extension in Orono and asked why Maine is not testing dog ticks that are being submitted and I was told that they are in the process of adding that to the list of ticks and diseases that they currently test for and should be able to test by end of summer. In the meantime, TickReport.com is still able to test all known ticks and diseases to the Northeast Corridor for a fee starting at $50 and goes up from there for more extensive testing. Three days and you have your test results: Species and sex of tick and any pathogens it was carrying.

So why is this so important? In recent years, it has become more and more common for ticks to be sent into laboratories to test what diseases the tick(s) could be carrying. Because ticks can carry many different diseases and present with different symptoms, with the knowledge of what you’ve been exposed to, it reduces your chances of misdiagnosis and delayed proper treatment.

If one tick can harbor and transmit several different tick-borne diseases, how do I know what I’ve been exposed to? If I am bitten and I do not get a bulls-eye rash, am I in the clear? Maybe, maybe not. Here in Maine, there are medical providers who would proactively start treatment while waiting on results of tick test, while others would want to wait until symptoms appears. How do you know when to treat and when to wait? To me, that is a very easy question and if you were to ask those who are treating chronic tick-borne disease infection, our answers would all be the same. Do not wait!

You’ve been bit a tick.

Save the tick and have it tested. With an accuracy rate of 99.998% you will know what you’ve been exposed to. Tick-borne diseases such as Anaplasmosis, Babesia (a malaria-based tick-borne disease) and Powassan transmit in under an hour.

While you wait the three days for results, start proactive treatment. There are many different things that you can do to bolster your immune system to stave off infection. Here in Lincoln County, the Boothbay Region Health Center is open seven days a week and they have walk in appts but I strongly advise that you call ahead first. They have tick kits, knowledgeable providers and resources to address any concerns that you may have. And they take insurance.

Treating early staves off weeks, months and years of dealing with chronic infection. Tick-borne disease is not easy to combat. The bacteria can quickly change forms and evade not only testing but antibiotics. Knowledgeable providers understand this window of time and act accordingly.

Take this advice from someone who has been there ~ prevention, prevention, prevention. Don’t have the tick encounter to begin with but if you do, save and test the tick and get on antibiotics immediately. Don’t become a statistic. This is one club you do not want to belong to.

Knowing what you’ve been exposed to will greatly increase your chances for appropriate treatment in a timely manner. It will guide your doctor in the right direction if/when you become symptomatic. Tick-borne diseases present differently and because they present so differently, can be misleading to a provider. Treating an infection quickly also reduces chronic illness and debilitating symptoms from long-term exposure to lingering infection.

Prevention is key to staying tick-free, however, if you are exposed to a tick encounter, know what you’re dealing with. Get that tick tested!

Paula is the president of the MLDSE, the co-chair of the Access to Care Services and Patient Support subcommittee of the federal HHS Tick-borne Disease Working Group, the Maine-partner of the national Lyme Disease Association, member of Maine’s CDC Vector-borne Workgroup and active in Maine’s Lyme legislation. You can reach her at paula@mldse.org or visit www.mldse.org