Anthony Fauci says West Nile Virus he suffered recently made him sickest he's ever been

Muse

Lifer
Jul 11, 2001
40,697
10,128
136
He's grateful he's made apparent virtual complete recovery, but he could easily have died or at least been permanently impaired. Expert that he is, he has a lot to say about possible development of vaccine and/or drugs to treat the disease, which has appeared in 46 states in the USA so far.

Interesting read:

This link will get you past the NY Times paywall for the next 14 days, i.e. until Monday Oct. 21, 2024.


 

nOOky

Diamond Member
Aug 17, 2004
3,245
2,320
136
More humans die from insects than animals. I had Lyme two years ago in October, it was the sickest I can remember being at the age of 54 then. I still feel extreme fatigue sometimes like I have never felt before I got it.
 
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Reactions: Red Squirrel

Muse

Lifer
Jul 11, 2001
40,697
10,128
136
More humans die from insects than animals. I had Lyme two years ago in October, it was the sickest I can remember being at the age of 54 then. I still feel extreme fatigue sometimes like I have never felt before I got it.
Lyme disease really scares me. I hike a trail every day, it's 1000 feet elevation climb from my house (I have been walking the whole way), and 700 feet climb from the trail head. Depending on the time of year (weather, rainfall) there can be a lot of high growing grass that can brush up against your legs. I hear that ticks can get on you from that grass and do their thing. It's for this reason that I always wear pants plus socks that go up my calf 8+ inches, I also do this to protect myself from UV, plus I try to go when the sun isn't high. There's been a major heat wave here for a week, and the grass is sparse, so I've worn shorts a couple times the last week. The heat wave just broke - today, it's back to pants.

I see so many people on the trail in shorts, have even seen them sitting down in the grass off trail. :eek:
 

sdifox

No Lifer
Sep 30, 2005
99,811
17,745
126
Lyme disease really scares me. I hike a trail every day, it's 1000 feet elevation climb from my house (I have been walking the whole way), and 700 feet climb from the trail head. Depending on the time of year (weather, rainfall) there can be a lot of high growing grass that can brush up against your legs. I hear that ticks can get on you from that grass and do their thing. It's for this reason that I always wear pants plus socks that go up my calf 8+ inches, I also do this to protect myself from UV, plus I try to go when the sun isn't high. There's been a major heat wave here for a week, and the grass is sparse, so I've worn shorts a couple times the last week. The heat wave just broke - today, it's back to pants.

I see so many people on the trail in shorts, have even seen them sitting down in the grass off trail. :eek:


There was a vaccine. But it got torted away.

 

Red Squirrel

No Lifer
May 24, 2003
70,425
13,735
126
www.anyf.ca
They're working on a new vaccine for lyme, it's been in trial for a few years now I think? Hopefully it ends up being safe as I may actually get it.

Bug borne illenesses can be quite scary due to how hard it is to avoid bugs, especially ones as small as ticks, and ones that come in swarms like mosquitoes. When it's middle of summer, wearing pants and long sleeves while doing physical activity or even just sitting around for that matter is not really realistic, that's going to be extremely miserable due to the heat.

I'm not sure if we do have ticks here though, there was rumours that we might, and there has been a few cases of people getting bit but it's also possible they got bit out of the region while on a trip and only noticed once they were here. With climate change it's a matter of time until we get them here though. Either way I do my best now to avoid vegetation touching me when working in the bush but can only do so much. If you brush against a tree branch or bump into a smaller tree that shakes that's how ticks end up on you, they either fall on you from the top or grab on to you when you brush against the branch. I think they prefer grass but doesn't mean they won't be in other vegetation too. I don't think they can fly though, so at least there's that.
 

Muse

Lifer
Jul 11, 2001
40,697
10,128
136
They're working on a new vaccine for lyme, it's been in trial for a few years now I think? Hopefully it ends up being safe as I may actually get it.

Bug borne illenesses can be quite scary due to how hard it is to avoid bugs, especially ones as small as ticks, and ones that come in swarms like mosquitoes. When it's middle of summer, wearing pants and long sleeves while doing physical activity or even just sitting around for that matter is not really realistic, that's going to be extremely miserable due to the heat.

I'm not sure if we do have ticks here though, there was rumours that we might, and there has been a few cases of people getting bit but it's also possible they got bit out of the region while on a trip and only noticed once they were here. With climate change it's a matter of time until we get them here though. Either way I do my best now to avoid vegetation touching me when working in the bush but can only do so much. If you brush against a tree branch or bump into a smaller tree that shakes that's how ticks end up on you, they either fall on you from the top or grab on to you when you brush against the branch. I think they prefer grass but doesn't mean they won't be in other vegetation too. I don't think they can fly though, so at least there's that.
You can access experts to determine if ticks are in your area. A local university of any size should have an entomology department. They should definitely know and be willing to share their knowledge.
 

nakedfrog

No Lifer
Apr 3, 2001
62,417
18,375
136
Lyme disease really scares me. I hike a trail every day, it's 1000 feet elevation climb from my house (I have been walking the whole way), and 700 feet climb from the trail head. Depending on the time of year (weather, rainfall) there can be a lot of high growing grass that can brush up against your legs. I hear that ticks can get on you from that grass and do their thing. It's for this reason that I always wear pants plus socks that go up my calf 8+ inches, I also do this to protect myself from UV, plus I try to go when the sun isn't high. There's been a major heat wave here for a week, and the grass is sparse, so I've worn shorts a couple times the last week. The heat wave just broke - today, it's back to pants.

I see so many people on the trail in shorts, have even seen them sitting down in the grass off trail. :eek:
As long as you check yourself for ticks afterwards, it's not that much of a concern, they've got to be attached for a while in order for you to be infected.