Lyme disease cases and tick bites have been on the rise in New Jersey. WBGO’s Scott Pringle talked to an expert from New Jersey on the matter who also got very sick from Lyme disease.
Back in 2017 Meghan Bradshaw who grew up in New Brunswick was misdiagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and was being treated for that inside of Lyme disease she had unknowingly gotten from a tick bite. The treatment for arthritis accelerated the progression of Lyme disease to the point where she got hip replacement surgery in 2019 and only after then doctors discovered Lyme disease in her.
“This was immense relief. I had finally been understanding what I had been dealing with, what had been wreaking havoc on my body for the years leading up to this, but it was also an incredible amount of frustration. I couldn’t understand. How did this get missed.”
But it was a long battle ahead that included a series of surgeries, joint replacements, and needing 24-7 care because Bradshaw was misdiagnosed.
“I had slipped through the cracks but unfortunately, I am one of many who slipped through this crack every year. There’s about half a million new cases of Lyme disease every year alone in the United States. It’s not the rare and regional disease that many people believe it to be. It is widespread.”
During her recovery, Bradshaw went back to school to study ticks and diseases they pass to humans. She now works full time at the Center For Lyme Action and helps advocate for federal funding and policy solutions for Lyme and tick born diseases.
New Jersey Health Department data shows since 2022, there’s been a big increase in Lyme disease cases in New Jersey. There’s been more than four-thousand reported cases of Lyme diseases this year through July. New Jersey has the fourth-highest Lyme disease case rate in the U.S.. Bradshaw says folks are at higher risk in wooded areas of the Garden State but also at the beach.
“Studies that have shown, there is a high prevalence of ticks along the Jersey shore. And so as folks are enjoying the shore, make sure you are taking extra precaution. They really enjoy tall grassy areas, so sand dunes would be a great place for a tick to live. While we are hopefully not playing in the dunes, that still putting us in proximity.”
Bradshaw recently studied the reasons for the increase in Lyme disease cases.
“Deforestation. The way that we are developing and using land. We are moving into their habitats. New developments that are what have historically been tick habitats. It’s putting us closer and more at risk of bites. There are also small migratory animals that influence our exposure. Many people believe it’s related to the booming deer population but the driving mammal is actually the white footed mouse. So, a lot of these small mammals are basically a vehicle for ticks. Ticks are hitchhikers. They are climbing on these small mammals that might be passing through your yard and they might drop that tick off and unfortunately it might latch on to you or your pets or your children. That’s what’s bringing them closer to home.”
The CDC recommends people take certain steps to lower the chances of a tick bite. Avoid wooded and brushy areas with high grass and leaf litter. Walk in the center of trails. Use EPA registered insect repellants. Check your body for ticks and shower after being outdoors.
For those who see a tick on them, Bradshaw’s advice is to remove the tick using tweezers.
“Pulling firmly and directly back so that you are not agitating the tick. What’s gross is that ticks transmit diseases by regurgitating the contents of their stomach, so you don’t want to squeeze the tick.”
She emphasizes don’t throw the tick out.
“There are lots of great ways that you can get a tick actually tested to see what diseases it might be carrying. There’s actually a free tick testing lab at Rutgers University. So you want to send your tick for testing and consult with your medical provider.”
There’s a series of new bills just introduced by New Jersey Congressman Josh Gottheimer that would create a system to identify high risk areas of Lyme disease and send alerts to people’s phones when they are in a high tick area.
“While ticks are small, these pests can carry dangerous diseases that pose severe risks to the health and safety of our families. Many of those infected don’t even realize their diagnosis until the symptoms have become so severe.”
He’s also introduced legislation that would authorize the U.S. Postal Service to issue a new postage stamp to raise money for Lyme disease research.