When Mara William’s daughter was bitten by a tick 23 years ago on Orcas, doctors said it could not be transmitting Lyme disease. Williams, a nurse practitioner, is now convinced her daughter has Lyme disease despite a lack of official reports of the disease in San Juan County.

“Washington state has Lyme, and many in the islands are sick,” she said.

Williams, a former Orcas resident, is coming to the island for a talk about Lyme disease at the Orcas Food Co-op on May 14 at 5:30 p.m. Her talk coincides with Lyme Disease Awareness Month this May.

She has spent more than six years working with Lyme disease issues and is the author of “Nature’s Dirty Needle” about chronic Lyme disease and how to get the help to feel better.

Where is Lyme?

Lyme is transmitted through the bite of a tick infected with a bacterium called Borrelia burgdorferi, which is contracted from the tick from biting infected animals, like deer and mice.

It was named in 1975 when children in Lyme, Conn. became sick and were misdiagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. Seven years later researchers discovered tick bites were the cause of the illness.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Lyme disease is the most commonly reported vectorborne illness in the United States. In 2013, it was the fifth most common nationally notifiable disease. However, researchers say it does not occur nationwide and is concentrated heavily in the northeast and upper Midwest.”

According to the CDC, between 2002 and 2006, there was one case of Lyme disease in San Juan County. Then between 2007 and 2011, there were two. Joann Runyan, who has worked as the county Public Health Nurse for two years, has seen two cases of Lyme disease reported to her office, but both people were likely infected on the East Coast and then traveled to the islands.

Williams said Washington state doesn’t want to recognize the disease.

“I have tried to report Lyme to a few health departments here and they refused to take the report, saying it does not exist here,” she said.

Treatment

While the CDC states that 70 to 80 percent of infected persons will experience a bull’s eye rash, the International Lyme Disease and Associated Diseases Society states that only 50 percent of Lyme positive patients see the tale-tell rash. What makes the topic of diagnosis more perplexing is that testing for the disease often provides false negatives. Doctors recommend several tests be done in tandem for accuracy.

According to Mayo Clinic, because ticks are in contact with many other animals they may be spreading multiple diseases with one bite. The other complication is that Lyme can often act like other diseases.

“Lyme is called the great imitator … Any autoimmune disease, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia are suspicious for underlying chronic infection, and especially Lyme,” said Williams.

Studies show that 10 to 20 percent of people with Lyme who are treated with antibiotics have symptoms of fatigue, pain or joint and muscle aches. In some cases, these can last for more than six months. Williams says the only way to prevent chronic infection and potential disability is to treat acute infection.

Prevention

According to Williams, the best way to avoid the disease is to steer clear of tick-infested areas like leaf piles, long grass, stumps or fallen logs. If you are in the outdoors wear long pants tucked into socks, and make sure to check for ticks at the end of the day. The Lyme Disease Association recommends that if you do find a tick, remove it with tweezers as straight out of the skin as possible. Save the tick and call a doctor.

“Personal prevention is the first defense from contracting Lyme Disease,” Williams writes on her website.

For information, visit www.marawilliams.net.