From the Los Angeles Times:

Wednesday, March 29, 2000 

Lyme Disease Detected in Ticks at Will Rogers Park 

     PACIFIC PALISADES--Health officials are warning hikers at Will 
Rogers State Historic Park to be wary of ticks this spring, because 
researchers have found a group of ticks there that tested positive for 
the bacterial illness Lyme disease. 
     People who play or work in the park or in the Santa Monica 
Mountains should be extra watchful for the ticks, which dwell in tall 
grass along trails and attach themselves to animals and humans, said 
Robert Saviskas, of the Los Angeles County West Vector Control District. 
Most cases of Lyme disease are contracted in spring and early summer. 
     Ticks that carry the disease were first discovered locally in 
Malibu State Park in 1999, and researchers say the infected creatures 
now appear to occupy a 22-mile stretch of the Santa Monica Mountains, 
from Malibu to the Palisades. Saviskas said it isn't clear whether 
infected ticks are spreading or whether they had always existed in these 
areas but are only recently being discovered because of increased 
testing. 
     In the latest testing, ticks with Lyme disease were collected along 
the park's Betty Rogers Trail. A total of 274 ticks were collected, and 
divided into groups of 10. One of those groups tested positive for the 
Lyme disease bacteria, Saviskas said. 
     Early symptoms of Lyme disease include a spreading rash, fever, 
headaches, and muscle and joint pains. Later symptoms of the disease 
include arthritis and nervous system disorders. People with medical 
questions may contact the Los Angeles County Acute Communicable Disease 
unit at (213) 240-7941. 

Lyme Disease Detected in Ticks at Will Rogers Park
http://www.latimes.com/news/state/20000329/t000029627.html

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