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
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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
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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.
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