Health District Thanks Physicians for Lyme Disease Reporting

The Westport Weston Health District said today it wanted to recognize and thank local physicians who have consistently reported the cases of Lyme disease they have diagnosed in their practices to the district.

“These physicians understand that it is their responsibility, under the Connecticut General Statutes and the Public Health Code, to report Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses, in addition to many infectious or communicable diseases,” a news release said.

“And though inconvenient, these physicians have been willing to help WWHD monitor the trends in Lyme disease occurrence in our community.”

It said it wanted to thank Internal Medicine Associates of Westport; Dermatology Associates;Westport Family Health; Dr. Robin Oshman, dermatologist; Bay Street Pediatrics; Willows Pediatrics and Children’s Health Services (Weston).

The release said it is important for doctors to report Lyme disease because laboratory testing is not warranted nor recommended if a person develops the characteristic rash of Lyme disease.

“Consequently, since the rash occurs in greater than 70 percent of cases, more patients are treated for Lyme disease without testing than are being tested,” the release said.

“And when laboratory tests are performed they are not always conclusive, often yielding false negatives and positives.”

It said laboratory testing may support the presence of the disease, but physicians very often must rely on clinical factors—symptoms, having found an engorged tick, place of residence, activities engaged in that raise the risk of exposure to ticks.

The district said its Target Lyme Disease program reminds residents to avoid tick habitats whenever possible, and to perform daily tick checks on themselves, their children and pets after spending time outdoors.

For additional information on how to protect your family from Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses, visit the district’s Web site at http://www.wwhd.org or call Monica Wheeler, RN at (203) 227-9571, ext 242.