Here's a little background information from www.lymedisease.org
What Is Lyme Disease?
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection primarily transmitted by Ixodes ticks, also known as deer ticks, and on the West Coast, black-legged ticks. These tiny arachnids are typically found in wooded and grassy areas. Although people may think of Lyme as an East Coast disease, it is found throughout the United States, as well as in more than sixty other countries. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 300,000 people are diagnosed with Lyme disease in the US every year. Lyme disease affects people of all ages. The CDC notes that it is most common in children, older adults, and others such as firefighters and park rangers who spend time in outdoor activities and have higher exposure to ticks. Lyme disease is caused by a spirochete—a corkscrew-shaped bacterium called Borrelia burgdorferi. Lyme is called “The Great Imitator,” because its symptoms mimic many other diseases. It can affect any organ of the body, including the brain and nervous system, muscles and joints, and the heart. Image of B. burgdorferi under atomic force microscope. Courtesy of Dr. Eva Sapi. Patients with Lyme disease are frequently misdiagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, and various psychiatric illnesses, including depression. Misdiagnosis with these other diseases may delay the correct diagnosis and treatment as the underlying infection progresses unchecked. How Do People Get Lyme Disease? Most people get Lyme from the bite of the nymphal, or immature, form of the tick. Nymphs are about the size of a poppy seed. Because they are so tiny and their bite is painless, many people do not even realize they have been bitten. Once a tick has attached, if undisturbed it may feed for several days. The longer it stays attached, the more likely it will transmit the Lyme and other pathogens into your bloodstream. Where Is Lyme Disease Found? Lyme disease has been found on every continent except Antarctica. It is found all across the United States, with a particularly high incidence in the East, Midwest, and West Coast. Rates have increased significantly over time. Some of this increase may be because of disease spread, but it is also likely that it reflects growing public awareness of the disease. Not all ticks are infected. Within endemic areas, there is considerable variation in tick infection rates depending on the type of habitat, presence of wildlife and other factors. Tick infection rates can vary from 0% to more than 70% in the same area. This uncertainty about how many ticks are infected makes it hard to predict the risk of Lyme disease in a given region. |
CDC Lyme Disease Activity
Click on the image to the left and it will take you to the CDC website. Use the CDC Worksheet below to input your information into. You will then put your information into a chart/graph for class discussion. We will be looking at the data and making some assumptions and predictions about the data.
Use the following states: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Iowa and New York. Be sure to set the columns to years and the Rows to States. Once you have all of the data entered, we will look at the raw data and see if there are any questions that it generates. Then we will use a visual (graphing) to see if this presents any clearer picture of what the data might be saying. We are then going to answer the following question: why do some states have lower numbers even though they are adjacent to ones with really high numbers of cases. |
Download the file below and fill in the information by state.
![](http://www.weebly.com/weebly/images/file_icons/xls.png)
cdc_worksheet_revised_2018.xlsx | |
File Size: | 13 kb |
File Type: | xlsx |
Standards addressed:
6_8.C.I.3 1. illustrate a content-related concept using a model, simulation, or concept-mapping software
6_8.R.I.4 employ data-collection technologies (e.g., probes, handheld devices, GPS units, geographic mapping systems) to gather, view, and analyze
the results for a content-related problem
6_8.C.T.1 use databases or spreadsheets to make predictions, develop strategies, and evaluate decisions to assist with solving a problem
6_8.C.I.3 1. illustrate a content-related concept using a model, simulation, or concept-mapping software
6_8.R.I.4 employ data-collection technologies (e.g., probes, handheld devices, GPS units, geographic mapping systems) to gather, view, and analyze
the results for a content-related problem
6_8.C.T.1 use databases or spreadsheets to make predictions, develop strategies, and evaluate decisions to assist with solving a problem