The Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department (BLDHD) is notifying residents of an increase of tick-borne diseases in Benzie and Leelanau Counties within the last month. Since January 1, BLDHD reported 25 suspected or confirmed cases of Lyme Disease and three suspected or confirmed cases of Ehrlichiosis. Of the 25 cases of Lyme Disease, 14 cases have been diagnosed within the last month.
Tick bites and cases of tick-borne illnesses such as Lyme Disease and Anaplasmosis are increasing in northern Michigan, according to statistics from the Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department and confirmed by local doctors and staff within the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Leelanau County registered 14 cases of tick-born illness last year, more than doubling the previous year’s tally. Beyond statistics, the upward trend has proven tragic for this community. Glen Arbor lost popular realtor and ski coach John Peppler to a tick-born disease last August. National Lakeshore superintendent Scott Tucker said that one Park employee nearly died last year of Anaplasmosis caused by a tick bite that happened at a Sleeping Bear campground.
Springtime means more people head outdoors, which also means the chances of incidental human-tick interactions increase. Several kinds of ticks can carry dangerous bacteria, viruses, or parasites. Not all tick bites will make you sick, but tick-borne diseases do occur in Michigan, such as Lyme Disease, Anaplasmosis, Ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and Babesiosis. Last year, the Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department reported 34 suspected or confirmed cases of Lyme Disease and six suspected or confirmed cases of Ehrlichiosis.
The Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department has created a portal in partnership with Laserfiche to increase access for residents to view their well and septic records. The portal went live on the website with Leelanau County records in early 2021 and Benzie County records have been digitized and added this week.
According to statistics from the Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department, 0 new positive cases of COVID-19 were reported yesterday, Feb. 21. That’s the first day without reported cases since last September 5, when the weather was still warm, people still fraternized outdoors, and before the Omicron variant spread. “It is great news that the number of cases is declining in our state and our region,” Lisa Peacock, health officer for the Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department, said in a press release today. “We want to keep this downward trend continuing and prevent another surge. Therefore, it is still critical that anyone who is eligible get vaccinated and receive their booster shot.”
Due to improving conditions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, the Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department announced that the First Amended Order which requires masks to be worn in school settings will be lifted on Thursday, February 17.
As a local health officer serving six counties in northern Michigan, I see the profound impact of prevention and direct services delivered through public health professionals and innovative community partnerships on the health of people and environments. Successes of public health have contributed in a vital way to a 30-year increase in life expectancy since 1900 in the United States. Thanks to vaccinations for children and adults, there is decreased illness and mortality. However, I write this out of concern as a citizen for the future of our health and well-being.
The Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department reported 51 new COVID-19 cases in Leelanau County on Tuesday, Jan. 4. In Benzie County, 31 new cases were reported. Both represent single-day records. The previous high was set on Nov. 12 when Leelanau recorded 37 and Benzie recorded 29 cases.
You sit down with this wild-bearded, twinkly-eyed man at a table full of colored pencils and ornate coloring sheets that he created. You’re not sure why you’re here, except for feeling nostalgic for simpler times when you were just a worry-free kid. Soon, you’re pouring your heart out to Grandfather Color as you scribble, finding joy and solace through the creativity of color. Grandfather Color, otherwise known as Richard Stocker, is the facilitator behind myriad efforts to heal the world, person by person, by guiding them through their healing process using color. He is also the facilitator of the new “Get Well World” and “Color COVID Away campaigns that are just unrolling across Leelanau, Benzie and Grand Traverse counties.
The Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department reports three new COVID-19 associated deaths of Leelanau County residents this week—one per day, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (as well as one death in Benzie County on Thursday). All victims were between ages 70-90; one was fully vaccinated. The pandemic has claimed a total of 24 lives in Leelanau and 38 in Benzie.