My point is, that due diligence and awareness are also proactive, and at times somewhat more appropriate.
Local situations may vary, this is true. I frequent 3 areas of the state, one where lyme disease exists, 2 that don't, but there's more than just lyme, spotted fever don't sound fun neither. New York may have a larger tick population than Michigan.
But odds must be considered, the number of cases reported every year here are actually relatively low when you consider it. Compared to auto accidents, medical mistakes and the flu, even random murder, lyme disease is really a fairly unlikely issue.
Not giving the critters a place to hide, and frequent tick checks are just as effective as donning a special chemical treated outfit. Also useful are having the proper removal tools, knowing how to safely remove a tick, saving a few ticks that may be found for analysis if something was contracted, and knowing what potential tick is in the area you're in, and knowing how to spot any symptoms.
I live in the woods, I play in the woods. I hear tick talk all the time, though I've never met anyone that had anytthing they got from a tic. It can happen to anyone, at anytime, but be realistic about it too.....so can a slip and fall, lightning strikes, and accidental pregnancies, all probably more likely. But I don't crawl everywhere carrying a lightning rod and wearing a condom.
Manhood has nothing to do with any of it, I don't play that game. On the other hand, I wont live my life in a chemically treated suit of armor because mass media and safety weenies have nothing else to talk about.
All in all, be smart and take appropriate precautions
I disagree.
The reason there aren't more cases of Lyme's disease reported is the abysmally low rate of detection, even (especially) among doctors because of lack of informing themselves, the failure of tests to detect, and the variability of symptoms. If you want to consider numbers, garbage in, garbage out. No one would drive with their brake foot hanging out the window for example. Your other examples are simply additive rarities and have nothing to do with things we DO have control over. Research states that the number of Lyme's cases each year might more accurately climb as high as 300,000 cases,
according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That's .1% of the general population each year, and includes the vast majority of city dwellers that never get off the concrete or out of the bar. Dividing that out with the time each spends in the outdoors is a more accurate assessment of risk, and especially factoring in the cost and down time of serious disease.
It's not just Lyme's anymore either, they (and other insects) are vectoring other exotic diseases not heard of before:
Tularemia,
Powassan virus,
Ehrlichiosis,
Rocky Mountain spotted fever,
alpha-gal syndrome (which results in
a lifelong allergy to red meat) which I was at risk for. Crikey!
And a dozen more.
Not giving the critters a place to hide, and frequent tick checks are not as effective. I mean, I do that, including hot showers after work. If they are on sprayed clothing, they are dead.
You may live and play in the woods, but I work there under all conditions. I am not one of those that
attract ticks. It was not uncommon decades ago that I would have maybe 1 or even no ticks on me, and my companions would have as many as 30. I just don't smell as good to them, but it doesn't stretch to mosquitoes or black flies. We may have different friends too, but quite a bunch of mine have had Lyme's.
I work in the woods, fields, and swamps, and I don't have the luxury of not going in nasty places; I go regardless. Three to 6 days a week, year around, although they're worse in spring when I'm typically out more often as opposed to guys that go in hunting and trapping seasons when they're aren't as many ticks.
I have never had anyone accuse me of being a safety weenie, or that has nothing else to talk about; that would be hilarious for anyone that's worked with me. I've used up 25 lives doing dumb stuff including getting struck by lightning and somehow lived through them. I'm just done being stupid with an increasing threat that I can do something about, and I want to help others on TNet avoid life-changing mistakes. There is a lot of bad advice out there (and on here). Better to be detecting than laying in bed sick.
It takes very little time to spray your clothes up with Permethrin and wa-la - your insect-lethal. 2 minutes spraying up compared to useless time picking yourself over or worse, doctoring up when you're sick, if you want to talk math.
And you don't have to smell like a Fabreze either. Permethrin doesn't smell at all.
Permethrin doesn't.
