In June, the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed bipartisan legislation designed to find solutions to the growing Lyme disease problem. Cases of Lyme disease are expected to top 5,000 in Pennsylvania when all the data for 2012 is compiled.
Lyme disease, a debilitating condition caused by bacteria related to the syphilis bacteria, is a major concern for those who work outdoors in the spring and summer months. The federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC) considers landscaping one of several occupations most vulnerable to the disease.
While Pennsylvania is near the epicenter of the Lyme disease outbreak, the states in the northeast and north central parts of the country, from Wisconsin to Maine, report the greatest incidence of the disease. Cases have been found in every state, except Hawaii. (Click here to view a CDC map of Lyme disease cases in the U.S.)
Detection, prevention, education
The Pennsylvania legislation is designed to create greater awareness about Lyme disease among the public, companies and workers in vulnerable industries and health care professionals. Caught early, the disease is treatable. If not, the disease can lead to chronic debilitating illnesses, joint pain and neurological damage. For many who contract the disease, they face a lifetime of recurring symptoms.
And while health care professionals are gaining more experience in recognizing and successfully treating Lyme disease, the symptoms, such as headaches, aching joints and muscles, a general lack of energy, can vary from individual to individual and mimic many other conditions. This makes diagnosing the disease challenging.
Lyme disease prevention awareness is the major goal of the program established by the Pennsylvania legislation. Lyme disease is transmitted by the bite of the deer tick, a small tick the size of a pin head. Prevention involves wearing protective clothing when working outside in tick-infested areas and using insect repellents containing 20 percent to 30 percent DEET.
Landscape companies in states with high incidences of Lyme disease should have employee education programs and company policies about proper precautions when working in infested areas.
As well, the CDC offers educational materials for companies to use to educate employees.
Controlling Lyme disease
In addition to preventing the disease in employees, landscape company owners should familiarize themselves with landscape design and maintenance techniques that can minimize homeowner exposure to deer ticks. Demand for landscape services that focus on reducing homeowner exposure to ticks is growing in those states where Lyme disease incidence is high.
Landscape techniques for reducing tick populations include creating a stone or wood chip barrier between wooded areas, where deer ticks flourish, and patio and play areas in yards. Experts recommend cleaning up leaf litter and dead plant material which can harbor ticks. Ticks like moist, shady areas and will die quickly when exposed to sunny dry areas.
Vermont, which has one of the highest incidences of Lyme disease in the country, published a good reference about landscape techniques to control tick populations.
Integrated pest management (IPM) also can be used to control tick populations. Applying tick-specific pesticides (acaracides) in late May and June can be an effective treatment.
Since deer are hosts for deer ticks during part of their lifecycle, reducing deer access to yards also can be an effective means of keeping the tick population under control. Easier said than done, however. But other smaller mammals are also hosts for the deer ticks—including mice, shrews and chipmunks—so an overall program of pest control can help keep the tick population in check.
Connecticut has developed an excellent overall reference for controlling ticks and Lyme disease. Lyme disease received its name from the town of Lyme, Conn., where some of the first cases of the disease were first diagnosed.
Landscape contractors in the Lyme disease prone states may find tick control programs, involving a range of maintenance services packaged together, may be an effective marketing tool, especially as the public awareness of Lyme disease continues to grow.
So while our industry may be one of the most vulnerable to Lyme disease, our industry also has a great opportunity to help others reduce their chances of contracting the disease.
Photo: Scott Bauer/ creativecommons.org
