Identify the prevalence of tick-borne diseases from existing data and the risk of co-infection in the United States

(Title of the paper):Identify the prevalence of tick-borne diseases from existing data and the risk of co-infection in the United States for the last two decades then provide public health recommendations to increase awareness regarding the tick-borne diseases

Nature & scope of proposed paper:

Tick-borne diseases have been a significant public health problem in the last two decades. Climate change and global warming are two crucial factors affecting the growth of tick-borne pathogens that should be controlled to maintain humans and domestic animals’ health (Sutherst, 2004).  According to the CDC report (CDC, 2016) listed that top five tick-borne diseases in the United States: anaplasmosis, babesiosis, Lyme disease, spotted fever rickettsiosis, and ehrlichiosis. Regarding to the geographical distribution to TBD, the CDC demonstrated in the 2016 report that cases have been found of Babesiosis in the east coast states, west coast states, southern states, northern states; additionally, anaplasmosis cases have been found in Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Alaska, and Hawaii in (2016, CDC). The US Department of Health and Human Services has released in ‘Tick-borne Disease Working Group 2018 report’ (HHS,2018) to the Secretary and the Congress that Lyme disease has raised by 300% in the northeastern states and 250% in the north-central states.

There are three significant tick-borne diseases in the northeast states, including, Lyme disease, babesiosis, and anaplasmosis according to the (CDC, 2018). The Lyme disease profile contains the disease agents: Borrelia burgdorferi and B. mayonii; as well as the mode of transmission: a lone star tick bite; also, the disease has two stages localized stage and disseminated stage; additionally, the incubation period: 3 days to a month (CDC, 2018). The second TB disease is babesiosis including the agents: Babesia microti and other Babesia species; also, the disease could be transmitted by the vector Ixodes scapularis ticks and the signs of the disease are mostly asymptomatic, however, sometimes it could be lethal; lastly, the incubation period is one to more than nine weeks (CDC, 2018). The third tick-borne disease profile is anaplasmosis. The anaplasmosis’ agent is Anaplasma phagocytophilum also the diseases could transfer by a bite from an infected tick and a contaminated blood transfusion (CDC, 2018). In addition to the epidemiological profile of the tick-borne disease, the risks of co-infection consider a significant health problem that concerns the public health community. In a retrospective cohort study conducted by (Fida, 2019) stated that 37% of patients with babesiosis developed non-fatal co-infection of Lyme diseases and anaplasmosis.

In conclusion, this project aims to identify the magnitude of tick-borne disease in the US, create a geographical map of at least four of tick-borne diseases in the US, compose an epidemiological profile of 4 TB diseases, finally develop public health recommendation of the prevention and public education of tick-borne diseases.

TBD- Tick-borne disease                    TB- Tick-borne

Objectives (please list a minimum of three):

• By 9/12/19, conduct literature reviews with a minimum of 15 evidence-based article of the top 5 tick-borne diseases in the US.
• By 9/19/19, identify the prevalence of a minimum 4 of tick-borne diseases in the United States specifically the northern states of the US from existing data.
• By 9/25/19, distinguish prevalence of co-infection and the risk of tick-borne diseases co-infections from existing data.
• By 10/10/19, create geographical map of the top 5 tick-borne diseases in the northern states or in the US by using existing maps
• By 10/20/19, arrange epidemiological profile of 5 tick-borne diseases in the north east states.
• By 11/1/19, develop minimum of 4 public health recommendations focusing on prevention and public education of tick-borne diseases in the US.
• By 11/15/19, finalize and submit the report, portfolio, and the poster.

Strategies to be used:

Review of the literature (primary studies, case studies) and public health sites including the CDC, MMWR, https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/diseases/index.html to identify tick borne diseases in the US, prevalence, and epidemiological profiles.

Site resources to be used (if special permission is needed to gain access to data, records, etc. how it will be arranged):

Identify which competencies you will be developing during the course of your APE (please identify a minimum of five competencies, of which three must be foundational competencies):

1. FC1: Apply epidemiological methods to the breadth of settings and situations in public health practice
2. FC2: Select quantitative and qualitative data collection methods appropriate for a given public health context
3. FC3: Analyze quantitative and qualitative data using biostatistics, informatics, computer-based programming and software, as appropriate.
4. FC4: Interpret results of data analysis for public health research, policy or practice
5. FC7: Assess population needs, assets, and capacities that affect communities’ health
6. EPIC1: Identify key sources of data for epidemiologic purposes.
7. EPIC2: Describe a public health problem in terms of magnitude, person, time and place.
8. EPIC3: Apply the basic terminology and definitions of epidemiology.
9. EPIC4: Draw appropriate inferences from epidemiologic data.

References: (AMA or APA formatting)

Fida, M., Challener, D., Hamdi, A., O’horo, J., & Abu Saleh, O. (2019, June). Babesiosis: A Retrospective Review of 38 Cases in the Upper Midwest. In Open forum infectious diseases (Vol. 6, No. 7, p. ofz311). US: Oxford University Press.

Hersh, M. H., Ostfeld, R. S., McHenry, D. J., Tibbetts, M., Brunner, J. L., Killilea, M. E., … &Keesing, F. (2014). Co-infection of blacklegged ticks with Babesia microti and Borrelia burgdorferi is higher than expected and acquired from small mammal hosts. PloS one, 9(6), e99348.

Sutherst, R. W. (2004). Global change and human vulnerability to vector-borne diseases. Clinical microbiology reviews, 17(1), 136-173.

Tick-bornedisease of the United States a reference manual for healthcare providers Fifth Edition, 2018. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/tickbornediseases/TickborneDiseases-P.pdf

Tick-borne disease working group 2018 report to congress. Retrieved from https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/tbdwg-report-to-congress-2018.pdf

Final products (Each student must include two products. Students must match their identified competencies to their products. A specific deliverable can cover more than one