Lyme disease infected ticks detected in Will Rogers State Park in 
southern California, MSNBC.com, 16 March 2000

From MSNBC.com:

Lyme disease ticks detected

LOS ANGELES, March 16 – Ticks collected recently from Will
Rogers State Park tested positive for Lyme disease,
prompting a county health advisory Thursday.

    Crews with the West Vector Control
District recently found 274 ticks along a
2,000-foot stretch of the Betty Rogers Trail,
within an hour.

[sidebar]

"People working
or playing
outdoors in these
areas and other
areas of the
Santa Monica
Mountains are
advised to be
extra watchful
for ticks,"
—Robert Saviskas
Executive
Director,
Vector-Borne
Disease Program

    The National Institute of Health, Rock
Mountain Laboratories confirmed that the
ticks contained the infectious agent for Lyme
disease, borrelia burgdorferi.
    Initial Lyme disease symptoms can include
a skin rash, headache and fever, and later
arthritis, neurological damage and cardiac
abnormalities.
    This was the third time since last year
that ticks carrying the disease have been
found in the foothills of the Santa Monica
Mountains, including the second instance in a
month, said Robert Saviskas, executive
director of the district’s Vector-Borne
Disease Program.
    The discovery in Will Rogers State Park
was 11 miles farther east than any previous
find – the first was in Malibu State Park and
the second was east of there – and the
closest yet to populated residential foothill
communities.
    Malibu State Park is 22 miles from Will
Rogers.
    “People working or playing outdoors in
these areas and other areas of the Santa
Monica Mountains are advised to be extra
watchful for ticks,” said Saviskas.
    “More than half of the Lyme disease cases
throughout California and the nation are
contracted during the spring and early summer
months when the tick, in its very small
nymphal stage, is most commonly found.”
    To protect yourself in wooded or brushy
areas, officials advise wearing long pants
and shirts that are light-colored, so any
ticks can easily be noticed. Tuck your pant
legs into boots or socks and tuck in your
shirt.
    Most importantly, once you leave the
brushy areas, inspect yourself and others for
ticks.
    If you find that a tick has attached
itself to you, use tweezers to grasp the body
of the tick and pull it straight out from the
skin. Don’t twist or yank. Never use gasoline
or matches to deal with ticks.
    After removing the tick, wash your hands
and apply antiseptic to the wound. A Lyme
disease vaccine is now available for human
use. Anyone who travels frequently in
infested areas may want to talk to a doctor
about the otential risks and benefits of the
vaccine.

Lyme disease ticks detected
http://www.msnbc.com/local/KNBC/423584.asp

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