Is Mother Nature trying to tell us something? Are the three evil trinity viruses/diseases like Ebola, Zika, and now Lyme disease, simply “Her” way of depopulating her over-crowded planet?
Okay. Okay. I know this sounds a bit far-fetched, but it seems that every few years, there’s another something that plagues the world, whether it’s a massive hurricane, flood, or locusts invading the earth (yes, it’s happened) much like God’s wrath in the Ten Commandments, a la Cecil B. Demille.
And it kinda makes me wonder – what’s next?
I mean, seriously. Less than 10 years ago, innocent people in Africa were dropping like flies after being stricken with the airborne Ebola virus, 1000s of people needlessly died whether in remote villages, the jungle, or modern cities. It was everywhere and it was highly contagious.
Then came Zika which dominated the news for several news cycles in 2015 and 2016. Then all of a sudden, Zika kind of dropped off of the radar. Hmm… maybe it’s because of the American Presidential elections making so many headlines. Understandable. But these days, it seems, however, that Zika and Ebola have been “tamed” and quieted – at least for a while.
Now granted, I’m not trying to freak people out trying to compare Lyme disease to Zika and Ebola. Lyme disease is different. Lyme disease is estimated to infect nearly 300,000 people who are diagnosed each year and it’s on the rise. Yes, Lyme disease is different – it may not deform the heads and brains of newborns with microcephaly, like Zika, and it doesn’t rapidly kill people of all ages (I’m going to leave out the gory details); no the symptoms of Lyme disease are slower to present – even clinically in a blood test.
That’s why so many people don’t receive a proper diagnosis and by then, it’s often too late. Lyme disease has invaded their bodies, slowly, insidiously, impairing heart and lung function. Even the brain can be affected.
It is estimated to infect nearly 300,000 people each year and it’s on the rise. Yes, Lyme disease is different – it may not deform the heads and brains of newborns with microcephaly, like Zika. It doesn’t rapidly kill people of all ages (I’m going to leave out the gory details), like Ebola. No, the symptoms of Lyme disease are slower to present – even clinically, in a blood test. That’s why so many people don’t receive a proper diagnosis and by then, it’s often too late. The disease has invaded their bodies, slowly, insidiously, impairing heart and lung function. Even the brain can be affected.
All it takes is one little tick that latches onto your skin, feasting on your blood for a little longer than 24 hours and you’ve got a problem on your hands. Rounds and rounds of blood tests, navigating false negatives, taking rounds of antibiotics to kill the disease, but as we know… antibiotics don’t always work. Sometimes the disease has progressed too far. People can develop dizziness, arthritis, heart disease, intense headaches and trouble sleeping, and fatigue. The list is long!
So do what you can when you’re out in the great outdoors with Mother Nature!
- Use an insecticide spray with Deet (as long as you aren’t pregnant or nursing)
- Wear long sleeves and pants – even knee socks or boots if needed
- Try to avoid the deep woods
- Check yourself and your partner when you get back.
Fight back and protect yourself.
