Toiyabe said:
John47,
Sorry to hear that you got Lyme Disease.
The CDC has a map of reported cases -
DVBID: Incidence | CDC Lyme Disease
Other statistics are available here -
DVBID: Statistics | CDC Lyme Disease
It does seem to be comparatively rare in the west, especially the interior west.
I wouldn't set much store on the CDC! Lyme is one of the most mis diagnosed disease's around. I had symptoms while I lived in California, several were missed by my Doctors, and I thought too, that what I was suffering was just the effects of aging, including high BP, another Lyme symptom. The problem with Lyme is it affects everyone different, not like a cold or flu. The test for Lymes is the Western Blot test, usually shows negative too even with full blown Lyme!
As I'd already had Lyme for ten years before it became full blown, anti biotics would probably have been a waste of time, usually has to be taken at the onset.
I didn't get the typical "bulls eye" rash either! I was consistant in removing ticks from me as I found them, I also used Deet on a daily basis during the months when ticks were around. I personally think it was mosquito bites that gave me Lyme! But I will never know for sure.
There is also a version known as Morgellons, although the medical profession doesn't recognise it.
There are several Doctors around the country who are world experts on Lyme and treat the disease in unorthodox methods to the norm mainstream medicine, they are having more positive results than patients treated with antibiotics.
What is puzzeling, is it was a disease that very rarely infected humans until the mid 70's! Some in medical circles attribute this to the decline in sodium levels in our diet following the coronary scares of the early 1970's and insisting we reduce our intake of salt in our diets.
Speculation or not, the medical profession now is saying we don't get enough sodium in our diets today!
It's amazing what a person will learn when they have to!