PADUCAH, Ky. — Making physical contact with poison ivy must be considered rash behavior. For about half the population, at least, that's what can result. Medical authorities estimate that roughly one out of every two people are sensitized to the weed, Kentucky's most troublesome wild plant.

        That means 50 percent of those who somehow touch the plant's sap are apt to break out in blisters and an itchy, painful rash.

        The most bothersome feature of poison ivy is its ubiquity. It's found almost everywhere across the state.

        Poison ivy occurs in multiple forms,a problem in identifying the plant. It's most often a climbing vine, but it can grow as a low ground cover or a woody, upright shrub. Its leaves can be teardrop-shaped or lobed, smooth-edged or toothy, dull or shiny. Leaf size can vary.

        One constant looms in the old rhyme: “Leaflets three, let it be.” Poison ivy produces leaves in clusters of threes from stems that come off vines or stalks in alternate fashion.

        Poison ivy begins blooming, producing greenish flowers, at about this time of year. In late summer, those blooms yield small white berries. Blooms and berries are just as poison to people as the leaves and stalks.

        Contrary to exaggeration, just being near poison ivy won't afflict even someone who's highly sensi tized to it. It takes contact from the sap. Contact with the smoke, and breathing the smoke from burning ivy actually can result a serious medical problem — a rash that develops in the airways.

        While some people seem immune to the plant, that's not certain to last. Medical experts say that, in addition to those already sensitized to poison ivy, perhaps one in three others have a variable degree of allergic reaction. That is, someone who didn't react to poison ivy at last contact very well may break out in rash at the next brush with it.

        One destructive bit of folk lore holds that immunity to poison ivy can be developed by eating its leaves. In truth, that could introduce serious, potentially fatal chemical reaction internally.

        Prevention is the best medicine. Whenever possible, simply avoid contact with the plant, which is more difficult in wilder, weedier locales.

        The best secondary approach is to wear long pants and sleeves as well as gloves to attempt to head off exposure.

        After potential exposure, the outer clothing should be treated as if it is contaminated, washing it before it can spread the potentially troublesome juice.

        If a rash or blisters do appear, calamine lotion can provide relief.

        For serious skin reactions to the plant, a dermatologist's treatment is recommended. A doctor may prescribe cortisone or another medication to soothe irritation and promote healing.

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