LA CROSSE, Wis. (WXOW) – Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in the United States according to the CDC.
A vector refers typically to a biting insect or tick that transmits a disease, parasite or pathogen to a human.
Wisconsin had 5,327 cases of Lyme disease in 2022 according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
Research is being done at Gundersen Health System to better understand the disease.
“We are trying to understand what it does, what it does to the human, how it makes antibodies, how those antibodies work to neutralize that bacteria, and how we can create a vaccine that would coax a person who otherwise has never been exposed into making effective antibodies that would be a shield,” Dr. Arick Sabin, an Infectious Disease Physician and Researcher at Gundersen Health System said.
Some of the work being done at Gundersen is to advance research toward tests according to Sabin.
“We work on developing the new and novel diagnostic tests for it,” he said. “We try to figure out better ways to improve the testing, better ways to improve the way that we do diagnostic tests for clinical use.”
Gundersen Health System Infection Interventionist Brian Simmons mentioned that Wisconsin is one of the states that reports high numbers of Lyme Disease every year. This being due to the amount of ticks found in the state.
“Wisconsin is one of the high prevalent states in the nation,” Simmons said. “Part of that is that we’re more of a rural area and have lots of wildlife. Particularly the black legged tick is very common in Wisconsin that is also known as the deer tick.”
Wisconsin and the U.S. continue to see a rise in Lyme Disease with Nebraska having its first case in 2021.
“The number of people we’re finding having the illness is going up and so consequently now it’s becoming a lot more common for the people who inhabit this area,” Sabin said. “There is a lot of folks now who have dealt with it sometimes many times. Overall, I would suggest in the United States that the data is pretty clear the number of cases continues to go up.”
With testing and research continuing at Gundersen, Simmons added that wearing loose fitting clothing when in tall grass or wooded areas and some bug sprays will prevent your chances of getting Lyme diseases from a tick bite.
Gundersen Health System and the CDC have tips for prevention of tick bites and Lyme Disease.
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