Pa. Physician General Recommends Lyme Disease Prevention HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.) Pennsylvania Physician General Dr. Robert Muscalus urged Pennsylvanians to take some simple precautions to pro tect themselves against the bac terial infection lyme disease, carried by deer ticks. “As warm weather arrives, people need to become informed about lyme disease and the steps they can take to avoid infec tion,” Dr. Muscalus said. The Physician General sug gested the following precautions to decrease the risk of being bitten by an infected tick: • Use insect repellent con taining DEET (N-diethyl metatoluamide) on clothes and exposed skin, except the face. Concentrations of less than 40 percent are recommended, and directions on product labels should be followed to avoid skin irritation and other toxic effects. • Avoid tick-infested areas, such as high grass and weeds. • Wear light-colored clothing so ticks can be spotted more easily. • Wear a hat, long-sleeved shirt, and long pants for added protection. • Tuck pant legs into socks or boots, and tuck shirts into pants. • Tape the areas where pants and socks meet. • Walk in the center of trails F arming is not your job Since 1896, Old Guard has served the insurance needs of area farmers and agri-businesses with prompt, responsive claim service and competitive rates. Now, as a member of Westfield Group, our commitment is stronger than ever. With over 200 collective years of agribusiness expertise, you can count on Westfield Group Agrißusiness for security, stability and value. WESTFIELD GROUP AGRIBUSINESS IS PROUD TO SUPPORT PENN STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES AG PROGRESS DAYS VISIT US IN TENT #2 AT MAIN & WEST 6 th STREETS to avoid overhanging brush. • Check for ticks after leav ing potentially tick-infested areas. Daily tick checks are advised for people living in the areas of the highest lyme disease incidence. In 2000, Dr. Muscalus noted 1,911 cases of confirmed lyme disease were reported in Penn sylvania. He said that Chester County led the state in con firmed cases of lyme disease last year with 476 cases. Montgom ery County reported 379 cases, followed by Bucks County with 368 cases; Philadelphia, 157 cases; York County, 141 cases; Northampton County, 42 cases; and Berks County, 41 cases. A bite from an infected deer tick a tiny insect that can be smaller than a pinhead or a poppy seed transmits the dis ease. In its early stages, the tick feeds on white-footed mice that live in wooded, bushy areas. It later moves on to larger mam mals, including dogs, cats, deer and humans. Lyme disease usually begins as a small, red (often “bulls-eye shaped 1 ) rash. The disease can progress quickly to flu-like symptoms, chills, swollen lymph nodes and fatigue. Left un treated, the disease can lead to more severe symptoms months or years later, including It's your way of life J* - “ * * •»* Old Guard INSURANCE A MEMBER OF WESTFIELD GROUP 201 E Oregon Road Lancaster, PA 17601 iuard.com www.oldi (800) 732-0050 • • '• • • . *• • • . *• • • , '• • • . CONTACT: Greg Kirkham Agri-Business Marketing arthritis, heart-rhythm irregu larities, and nervous-system ab normalities. Dr. Muscalus said it takes at least 24 to 48 hours for a tick to transmit the lyme disease infec tion, so early detection and prompt, proper removal of ticks is a very important prevention step. Ticks should be removed using fine-tipped tweezers, grasping the tick as close to the skin as possible and slowly pull ing it straight out. An antiseptic or antibiotic ointment then should be applied to the wound. Never apply mineral oil, heat or FB Applauds Tax Provision To Encourage Food Donations WASHINGTON, D.C. A bill approved by a House com mittee would result in more food for millions of hungry and needy Americans, in part by providing farmers who donate food to charities the same tax treatment as corporate donors, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. In a letter earlier to the House Ways and Means Committee, AFBF and a coalition of farm and hunger groups urged sup Lancaster Farming, Saturday, August 11,2001, Ag Progress Section- any other substance that could cause the tick to inject the bac teria into the wound. Always wash your hands after handling a tick. Lyme disease is treated with antibiotics. Patients treated in the early stages of the disease usually, respond very well, and even those treated in much later stages usually recover satisfacto rily although a small number may have recurring symptoms or permanent joint damage. Muscalus advises people who think they may have been ex posed to a deer tick to consult port for a provision of the Com munity Solutions Act of 2001 (H.R. 7). Specifically, the letter praised a section of the bill that “corrects current inequities in the tax code” to recognize chari table food donations from farm ers at a level equal to that of corporate donors. “America’s farmers and ranchers have always supported hunger relief,” the groups stated. “Although thousands of farmers and ranchers regularly donate products to hunger relief with their doctor for proper di agnosis and treatment. The disease was first identi fied in the U.S. in 1975, near Lyme, Conn. The typical lyme disease season in Pennsylvania runs from May to November, with the peak months being June through September. For more information on lyme disease, call the Department of Health’s toll-free help line, at 1- 877-PA-HEALTH, or visit the department’s Website http:// www.heaith.state.pa.us. activities, the current tax law is a hindrance to their food dona tions in many ways.” The groups stated that the current tax code only provides corporations a “special deduc tion” for donations to food banks and excludes farmers, ranchers and other small busi ness owners who donate. “Under current law, if a major food company donates a truckload of unprocessed apples to a food bank and a local farmer donates a truckload of apples that he just harvested to the food bank, the food com pany would be eligible for the (special donation) but the farmer would not,” the groups pointed out. “The current tax law is not only unfair, it is an ob stacle to helping us feed the hungry.” As approved by the House Ways and Means Committee, Section 103 of H.R. 7 would realign tax laws governing do nated food by extending the “special rule deduction” to all business taxpayers, especially farmers and ranchers. Section 103 also would increase this de duction to the fair market value of the donation. A similar provision is in other pending rtteasures, including the Good Samaritan Hunger Relief Tax Incentive Act (S. 37/H.R. 990) and the Tax Empowerment and Relief for Farmers and Fishermen Act (S. 312.) In addition to AFBF, groups signing the letter included America’s Second Harvest, Na tional Cattlemen’s Beef Associa tion, National Farmers Union, National Milk Producers Feder ation, and United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association. 243
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