Since January of this year, Buncombe County has received 104 reports of Lyme, says Buncombe County spokesperson Stacey Wood. Of those, 19 have been confirmed cases, five met the definition for suspect or probable cases and 23 are currently under investigation.
” See ‘The Quiet Epidemic’ and please ask your representatives and senators to give North Carolina free tick testing, an accurate tick count and education in the schools.”
“Lyme disease is quickly becoming a dangerous nightmare. The tests are still unreliable.”
“Ask your representatives and senators for North Carolina free tick testing, an accurate tick count sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, education in the schools and public groups, and demand that Congress find a decent tick-borne test and cure.”
The coronavirus pandemic may have slowed reporting of tick-borne diseases in the state, but the insects are more prevalent than ever and are heading south, some carrying relatively new diseases.
According to Buncombe County Health and Human Services, the county had 21 reported cases of Lyme disease in 2018. Western North Carolina is a hot spot for the disease as well as other vector-borne illnesses (those transmitted by carriers such as mosquitoes, ticks and fleas).
