Twilight Tuesdays are back for a third summer season at Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden. Beginning Tuesday, June 2, 2015 and running every Tuesday through August 25, 2015, zoo grounds will be open until 8 pm with last entry at 7 pm. The extended evening hours are a direct response to requests from zoo members and zoo visitors. The Rainforest Grill and Wild Rivers Trading Co. Gift Shop will also remain open. Regular admission rates apply; Zoo Members are FREE.

Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden Closing Early to Prepare for Zoo Brew on Saturday, June 6, 2015
Public Notice: Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden hosts its largest annual fundraiser, Zoo Brew, this Saturday, June 6, from 6 to 9 pm. The event is completely sold-out. In order to prepare for the event, zoo gates will close at 2 pm on Saturday. The zoo will reopen to visitors at 9 am on Sunday, June 7, 2015. Thank you for supporting your zoo.

For additional information on Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Garden, visit www.meskerparkzoo.com

Tick-borne Illnesses Can Cause Problems Such as Lyme Disease

By Scott Thomas

Today is the first of June.  School is out in most counties.  Summer is upon us, which brings on the outdoors: camping, fishing, barbeques and more.  This time of year, many prepare for the season’s dangers by educating their family and friends such as campfire safety, sunscreen use to prevent sunburn and the eventual firework safety closer to 4^th of July time.  However, one epidemic that is often less discussed but still rather important is Lyme disease.

Charity Doane, 30, a local Evansville Area woman, has battled Lyme disease since 2007.  Recently her efforts has been focused on raising awareness and prevention of blacklegged tick bites in addition to raising funds to provide for her own care.  Treatment can prove costly in the area of $1,000 monthly for nine months to two years.

According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected blacklegged ticks.  Only about 20,000 to 200,000 cases are reported in the United States each year.

Though not as prominent in Indiana, the most common cases of Borrelia burgdorferi are found in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic regions, from northeastern Virginia to Maine in addition to the north-central states, mostly in Wisconsin and Minnesota as well as the West Coast, particularly northern California.

Another famous case of Lyme disease is the wife of Grammy Award Winning Producer & Songwriter David Foster.  His wife, Yolanda, is also a star of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills on Bravo.  The show has served as a platform as she chronicles her journey fighting against Lyme disease as well.

Even our former Commander in Chief, President George W. Bush was diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2007.  He received treatment following a tick bite assumed to have occurred during a regular bike ride.  It was detected by the observation made of a rash on his skin.

Prevention begins by taking care and showing concern for the outdoors.  Be sure to use insect repellent and pesticides.  Also be prepared by conducting self-inspections to check for ticks.  Most cases of Lyme disease can be treated with the use of antibiotics in the first few weeks.

Between the first three to thirty days, symptoms can include fatigue, chills, fever, headache, muscle and joint aches, and swollen lymph nodes.  Erythema migrans (EM) can also develop.  These red, expanding rashes may appear on the skin.

The CDC also reports that ‘Lyme disease is the most commonly reported vector-borne illness in the United States. In 2013, it was the fifth most common Nationally Notifiable disease. However this disease does not occur nationwide and is concentrated heavily in the northeast and upper Midwest.’  For more information regarding Lyme disease from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), visit their website at http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/index.html.