PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

How can Lyme disease be prevented and controlled?

New study assesses the potential reasons for the continued lack of success in prevention and control of Lyme disease

2012-01-05
(Press-News.org) Lyme disease is the most commonly reported vector-borne disease in the United States, with the majority of cases occurring in the Northeast. It has been three decades since the agent of the disease, the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi, and the ticks that vector it were identified. However, the number of Lyme disease cases have steadily increased.

In a new article appearing in the forthcoming issuue of the Journal of Medical Entomology called "What Do We Need to Know About Disease Ecology to Prevent Lyme Disease in the Northeastern United States?" authors from Colorado State University and the Centers for Disease Control assess the potential reasons for the continued lack of success in prevention and control of Lyme disease in the northeastern United States, and they identify conceptual areas where additional knowledge could be used to improve Lyme disease prevention and control strategies.

Some of these areas include: 1) identifying critical host infestation rates required to maintain enzootic transmission of B. burgdorferi, 2) understanding how habitat diversity and forest fragmentation impacts acarological risk of exposure to B. burgdorferi and the ability of interventions to reduce risk, 3) quantifying the epidemiological outcomes of interventions focusing on ticks or vertebrate reservoirs, and 4) refining knowledge of how human behavior influences Lyme disease risk and identifying barriers to the adoption of personal protective measures and environmental tick management.

The article briefly summarizes existing prevention and control strategies and tools aimed at reducing human exposure to vector ticks and B. burgdorferi, and highlights conceptual areas where additional studies on the enzootic transmission cycle or the human-tick interface are needed to fill in the knowledge gaps preventing the development of novel, more effective Lyme disease prevention strategies and tools or the implementation of existing ones.

Because the likelihood of human exposure to the tick and the pathogen both can be influenced by human behavior, the authors focus not only on the density of infected ticks, which represents the fundamental (or acarological) risk of human exposure to B. burgdorferi, but they also provide an overview of studies that identify behavioral risk factors and explore areas where additional information in this field are needed.

###

The full article is available at http://www.entsoc.org/PDF/2012/EC-11-138.pdf.

The Journal of Medical Entomology is a bimonthly peer-reviewed journal that publishes reports on all phases of medical entomology and medical acarology, including the systematics and biology of insects, acarines, and other arthropods of public health and veterinary significance. It is published by the Entomological Society of America, the largest organization in the world serving the professional and scientific needs of entomologists and people in related disciplines.

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Research shows progress toward a genital herpes vaccine

2012-01-05
ST. LOUIS -- An investigational vaccine protected some women against infection from one of the two types of herpes simplex viruses that cause genital herpes, according to findings in the New England Journal of Medicine. The vaccine was partially effective at preventing herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), but did not protect women from herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2). There were less than half of the cases of genital herpes caused by HSV-1 – 58 percent fewer -- in women who received the investigational vaccine compared to women who received the control vaccine. "There ...

Required and Optional Auto Insurance Coverage in Louisiana

2012-01-05
Most states require minimum levels of auto insurance coverage and impose penalties on drivers who fail to comply with those laws. Louisiana law only requires liability insurance, but drivers can decide whether they want other coverage such as uninsured motorist and medical payments coverage. You should know about the available types of coverage since it can determine how you will be compensated for medical bills and property damage claims in the event of a car accident. Liability Insurance Requirements Louisiana requires drivers to carry minimum amounts of liability ...

Clinical trial demonstrates that rilonacept significantly reduces gout flares

2012-01-05
A phase II clinical trial found that rilonacept, an inhibitor of the protein interleukin-1 (IL-1), significantly reduced acute gout flares that occur when initiating uric acid-lowering therapy. Results of the trial—the first placebo-controlled study investigating IL-1 targeted therapy in prevention of gout flares—show rilonacept to be generally well tolerated with no serious infections or treatment-related serious adverse events reported. Full findings are published in Arthritis & Rheumatism, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). Patients with gout—a ...

New York's "Move Over" Laws Meant to Make Roadways Safer for Everyone

2012-01-05
Drivers might not be aware of two relatively new vehicle and traffic laws in New York that went into effect in the last year. The first law, found in New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law Article 1122-a, relates to bicyclists riding on the shoulder of a road. And the second law, Article 1144-a, relates to drivers and emergency vehicles stopped on the shoulder of a road. Being Mindful of Bicyclists Article 1122-a of New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law requires drivers approaching a bicyclist on the shoulder of the road to make an effort to put as much distance ...

Twin Cities light rail project presents both opportunities and risks for health, according to report

2012-01-05
WASHINGTON—The rezoning around a planned light rail line in the Twin Cities would create both opportunities and potential risks for the health of the people in the communities it would pass through, according to a health impact assessment (HIA) released today by PolicyLink, TakeAction Minnesota, and ISAIAH, a nonprofit coalition of 90 congregations of various faiths in the Minneapolis, St. Paul and St. Cloud region. The HIA was made possible through a grant by the Health Impact Project, which is a collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Pew Charitable ...

Fair Sentencing Act May Mean Early Release for Some With Crack Sentences

2012-01-05
In the 1980s, crack-cocaine use was seen as a problem of epic proportions. The conversion of powder cocaine to crack transformed what had been an expensive drug into a much cheaper, more widely available and -- in the beginning -- more potent drug. From the creation of a Cabinet-level Drug Czar to additional legislation from Congress, a variety of actions were demanded by the public to stop the perceived drug crime epidemic. Part of the response by Congress was increased penalties for crack-possession convictions, including mandatory minimum prison sentences that were ...

Pennsylvania Bans Texting While Driving

2012-01-05
Distracted driving is one of the most dangerous threats on our nation's roads. In 2009 alone, 5,474 people were killed and another 450,000 were injured at the hands of distracted drivers. Pennsylvania is by no means immune to this problem. Pittsburgh car accident lawyers witness firsthand the tragedies caused by drivers who fail to focus on the road. Thankfully, Pennsylvania will soon have a new tool in its arsenal to combat distracted driving -- starting March 8, 2012, texting while driving will be illegal across the state. Governor Tom Corbett signed the bill into ...

Tips to Avoid Premises Liability and Decorate Safely During the Holidays

2012-01-05
Ask any property owner and he will most likely tell you that owning property brings responsibility. Not only is an owner responsible for maintaining the property like mowing the lawn and shoveling the driveway during the winter months, they are also responsible for making sure the property is free and clear of dangerous conditions that could cause a person coming onto the property to be injured. If the property owner doesn't keep the property free from dangers and someone is injured, the owner could be legally responsible for the injuries under the theory of premises ...

The Dangers of Walking While Drunk

2012-01-05
The dangers of drunk driving in Florida are well-known. In 2009, the latest year for such statistics, more than 900 lives were lost in alcohol related car accidents. However, an increasing number of intoxicated pedestrians are being killed by oncoming cars. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported in 2008 that pedestrians are four times more likely to be killed if they are drunk compared to those who are sober. Across Florida, nearly a third of pedestrian deaths in 2010 involved a pedestrian who had been drinking. Reports indicate that ...

Reducing Tucson Bicycle Accidents Through Safety Awareness

2012-01-05
Tucson, Arizona is rated one of the top cities in the nation for bicycle commuting. In part due to the extensive network of bike paths and also Tucson's push to become a platinum-rated bike-friendly community, bicycle ridership increased 58 percent between 2009 and 2010. While the city as a whole has made great strides, there are a few pockets where bicycle safety needs an extra boost. The University of Arizona (UA) campus is one such pocket. With around 11,500 bicyclists on campus each day, the UA campus has the highest concentration of bicycles in the Tucson metro ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Breaking the code of sperm motion: Two proteins found to be vital for male fertility

UC Irvine poll: Californians support stricter tech regulations for children

Study finds critically endangered sharks being sold as food in U.S. grocery stores

Meat from critically endangered sharks is commonly sold under false labels in the US

‘Capture strategies’ are harming efforts to save our planet warns scientists

Misconceptions keep some cancer patient populations from benefitting from hormone therapy

Predicting the green glow of aurorae on the red planet

Giant DNA discovered hiding in your mouth

Children lose muscle during early cancer treatment — new ECU study warns of a hidden danger to recovery 

World-first koala chlamydia vaccine approved

Taking the pulse of digital health in Asia

Even healthy children can be severely affected by RSV

Keto diet linked to reduced depression symptoms in college students

Blood test identifies HPV-associated head and neck cancers up to 10 years before symptoms

Odds of dementia strongly linked to number of co-existing mental health disorders

Large social and economic inequalities persist among UK doctors

Research reveals how microplastics threaten Gulf of Mexico marine life

AI tool developed at Oxford helps astronomers find supernovae in a sky full of noise

Hungry star is eating its cosmic twin at rate never seen before

The Age of Feasting: Late Bronze Age networks developed through massive food festivals, with animals brought from far and wide

Study of breast cell changes in motherhood provides clues to breastfeeding difficulties

Seizure spread marks loss of consciousness

Carlos Collet, MD, Ph.D., joins CRF® as director, cardiovascular imaging, physiology and translational therapeutics

Beyond weight loss: How healthy eating cuts chronic pain

Mayo Clinic physician awarded Dr. Scott C. Goodwin Grant for Adenomyosis

Kennesaw State researcher developing electronic nose to detect foodborne illness

New global database opens the door for better understanding of terrestrial ecosystem productivity

Surviving hostile Venus conditions, finding rare earths and other critical metals

New ways of producing methanol from electricity and biomass

Gemini South aids in discovery of elusive cloud-forming chemical on ancient brown dwarf

[Press-News.org] How can Lyme disease be prevented and controlled?
New study assesses the potential reasons for the continued lack of success in prevention and control of Lyme disease