Illustration by Tabi Walters
In June, architect Russ Serbay started feeling fatigue—going up and down stairs exhausted him—sore muscles, and night sweats. When he saw his primary care physician, she heard his symptoms, asked a few questions, and ordered blood tests specifically for Lyme disease. She told him that his symptoms matched those of her spouse—who was currently being treated for the tick-borne infection.
Chelsi Preuc at the Washtenaw County Health Department says that through June, the department received reports of eighty-five cases of Lyme disease, up from fifty in the same period last year. Serbay was probably exposed while weeding in the woods behind his house: the blacklegged tick, a primary carrier, is also known as the deer tick—and he sees a doe and three fawns daily as they pass through on their way to and from the Miller Nature area.
“Anyone spending time outside in our community can be exposed to Lyme disease,” WCHD’s Kristen Schweighoefer warns in a July press release that also cautioned about a less-common infectious agent, Jamestown Canyon virus, that was detected in June in a mosquito collected in the Whitmore Lake area. “Use EPA-approved repellents and check for ticks attached to your body after being outside. If you find a tick on you, remove it immediately.”
Lyme disease can be serious and even fatal if untreated, but responds well if detected early. Serbay’s physician prescribed an antibiotic and he felt better after a few days. He still works in the woods but now wears a long-sleeved shirt and long pants, sprayed with tick repellent.