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Is Lyme Disease recognized in the US? (lemmy.zip)

submitted 17 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago) by LtDan@lemmy.zip to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

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I know for example: there was a guy who got bitten by a tick in Australia and yet doctors still think "nothing is wrong" just because Australia doesn't recognize Lyme Disease since their argument is "no scientific proof that ticks in our country transmit the bacteria" which sounds stupid when there are cases of people having Lyme Disease there.

And he's not the only one: as a woman shared the symptoms he had, but Australia FOR SOME reason is still in denial as their counterargument sticks on "NO SCIENTIFIC PROOF THAT OUR TICKS HAVE IT" so she spent money on getting the results in another country where Lyme Disease is officially recognized paid from her own pocket.

In comparison:

is Lyme Disease recognized in the United States?
If so, how common is it amongst the population?

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[–] Vanth@reddthat.com 2 points 14 hours ago

Yes, it's recognized in the US. Not always quickly and accurately, I've known several people who lived with it for years before a doctor finally figured it out.

(Pure personal anecdotal, not data-backed) I suspect a generation of doctors were trained only to look for a red rash in the shape of a bullseye target on the patient's skin and not to run blood tests until a bullseye is seen. People with Lyme don't always get the bullseye rash or sometimes it's in an area not easy to detect it (on scalp, covered in hair). Hopefully there continues to be better awareness and diagnostics.

It's not super common where I live (middle of the US). I've been bitten by ticks many times but never contracted Lyme. My state advises saving the tick for 30 days after it bites you. If you have any symptoms, your doctor's office can arrange to have it tested. If it tests positive, you get tested and then treated if needed and also the an official report goes to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), which is a national-level public health agency.

Unfortunately, the CDC is under the Department of Health and Human Services, which is now run by RFK Jr. I wouldn't be surprised if that moron were to advise tanning one's butthole as treatment for Lyme.