E"vents to bring awareness to the often-misunderstood malady Lyme disease are being held Saturday in Hoover, Cullman and Montgomery.
"These are open events to anyone who wants to learn more about the disease, and we also want to provide support for those of us who have the disease," said April Dyer, a 30-year-old Springville resident with Lyme disease.
Dyer is part of the newly formed Alabama Lyme Disease Association which seeks to help provide support for those with the disease and educate the public and the medical community about it."
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Lyme disease is the most commonly reported vectorborne illness in the United Statesin 2011, according to the Centers for Disease Control. (Photo/CDC)"These are open events to anyone who wants to learn more about the disease, and we also want to provide support for those of us who have the disease," said April Dyer, a 30-year-old Springville resident with Lyme disease.
Dyer is part of the newly formed Alabama Lyme Disease Association which seeks to help provide support for those with the disease and educate the public and the medical community about it.
Lyme disease awareness events:
- In Hoover from 10 a.m. to noon at Veteran's Park
- In Cullman, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Sportsmans
- In Montgomery, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Riverfront Park.
"We were told by several well-respected doctors that Lyme was not a possibility because it doesn't exist in Alabama or even in the Southeast," Wolfe says on theassociation Facebook page.
The CDC doesn't recognize Alabama as a state where you can get the disease.
The CDC reported 9 confirmed and 15 probable cases in Alabama for 2011,the latest statistics available, and suggests those probably were infected in other states.
Nationally, more than 24,000 people had a diagnosis confirmed that year, with the highest concentration in the Northeast and upper Midwest, according to the CDC.
Dyer, who first exhibited symptoms of fatigue, memory problems, and joint pain more than a decade ago, said she believes the CDC figures are way off.
"There are a lot of people out there not getting a diagnosis," she said. "The tests are not all that reliable."
In April, Gov. Robert Bentley, a medical doctor himself, cited widespread under-reporting of the disease in a proclamation declaring May to be Lyme Disease Awareness Month.
According to the CDC, Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected blacklegged ticks. Symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, and a "bulls-eye skin rash" on some victims. Untreated, the infection can spread to joints, the heart and the nervous symptom, according to the CDC.
Dyer went through many doctors and tests for other diseases before finally getting the antibiotic treatment she needed.
She said doctors wouldn't test her for the disease.
When she did finally get a test and it came back positive, a specialist told her it was "a false-positive" and to get the notion of Lyme disease "out of her head."
Dyer, who said she lost a lot of weight, was told that she was "a depressed bulimic with chronic fatigue syndrome."
"I've been on treatment for five years now and feel 300 to 500 percent better now," she said.
The events Saturday will be:
- In Hoover from 10 a.m. to noon at Veteran's Park at the pavilion that is close to the playground.
- In Cullman, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Sportsmans Lake Park, Pavilion 4.
- In Montgomery, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Riverfront Park.
