WEST MILFORD Lyme disease has come to North Jersey with a vengeance. Over one-third of the West Milford Township’s infectious disease reports this spring are Lyme Disease according to the West Milford Health Department. The West Milford Heath Department has invited the president of the Lyme Disease Association to an open to the public presentation. Pat Smith, the top Lyme educator in New Jersey (and one of the top in the U.S.), will give a talk and power-point slide show on Monday June 11, at 7:30 p.m. in town hall. She will discuss protecting oneself from the ticks that carry Lyme disease and the problems with Lyme disease diagnosis. She will also address the medical controversies in Lyme treatment. Why has Lyme disease markedly escalated in our area? A good part of the reason is that a year ago there was an abundant crop of acorns. The wild white-footed mice ate them it was a great Thanksgiving dinner every day. And, as God commanded in the Bible, the mice “were fruitful and multiplied.” Then, the so-called “deer ticks,” which carry Lyme disease, used these mice as wonderful hosts, so that the ticks could also be fruitful and multiply. Now, the ticks are jumping on human beings, dogs, deer and other animals to spread their Lyme disease. About two decades ago biologists came to West Milford and found that over 35 percent of our ticks were infected with Lyme disease. Today’s infection rate is unknown, but ticks also carry at least three other infectious diseases that can be very serious and often difficult to treat. Even if one doesn’t go into the woods, deer ticks may not be avoidable. Biologists have determined about 50 species of birds provide free taxi rides to ticks, allowing the ticks to roam near and far. If Lyme disease is detected and caught early, antibiotics can prevent disease symptoms. However, if a person who contracts Lyme disease is not properly diagnosed or properly treated for months after an infected tick bite, they can end up with chronic Lyme disease. This can attack any part of the body, but especially nerve tissue, including the brain and the electrical system that regulates one’s heart beating rhythm. Brain symptoms include memory and other cognitive deficits, serious depression and anxiety. Other Lyme symptoms are painful arthritis, visual and hearing problems. Learning about Lyme disease is especially important for parents whose children who may play in tall damp grass and hikers that go out into the forests of North Jersey.