Middlesex School Nurses Meet With Lyme Disease Association to Learn About Lyme Disease

WHY: About 220,000 – 240,000 cases of Lyme disease are estimated to occur each year. New Jersey is third in the nation in reported cases of Lyme disease and high in cases of babesiosis, another tick-borne disease which can be acquired with the bite of the same tick. School age children are at great risk of acquiring Lyme and other tick-borne diseases.

Lyme disease, the most common vector-borne disease in the United States, is contracted by the bite from a bacteria-infected tick.
A vector-borne disease is one primarily transmitted to humans by ticks or mosquitoes.

In humans, infection with Lyme disease bacteria can lead to problems related to the nervous system, heart, joints as well as the brain. Symptoms of Lyme disease vary for each individual patient, but may include fever, chills, headache, backaches, fatigue, and a bull’s eye rash. Later manifestations can cause cognitive impairment, affecting the educations of thousands of children, who often miss months or years of school due to Lyme disease.

WHO: Interviews available with:
Pat Smith, President, Lyme Disease Association

CONTACT: To set up an interview or for more information, contact: