Partly due to global warming and the proliferation of ticks, Lyme disease is the fastest growing infectious disease in the US. Here’s how to protect yourself.
By Hilltromper staff
May 7, 2024—Robert Buelteman, the San Mateo County-based nature photographer, says he doesn’t know where exactly he picked up the tick that gave him Lyme disease. “Everyone asks me that, and I give them all the same tongue-in-cheek answer,” he says. “It’s like asking somebody who’s been run over what color the car was.”
His work prior to the onset of symptoms had taken Buelteman to Colorado, Utah and New Mexico, he says, and he had spent a lot of time on a project about the San Mateo County coast. “I suspect I got it locally,” he says, “but I’ll never know.”
It’s impossible for most people with Lyme disease to know where they got it because of its vector for transmission. The nymph ticks that are the only carrier of the Lyme-bearing bacterium jump from host to host every couple of hours. Buelteman points out that your dog might pick one up during an afternoon hike, and it will find its way into your bed while you are sleeping.
Over on Hilltromper Santa Cruz, you can find more disturbing but useful information about Lyme disease, ticks, and how you can protect yourself from this dangerous little bug.
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