Working and playing outdoors puts you and your family at risk of contracting Lyme Disease. Before going out on a picnic, hike, or any outdoor activity, it’s a good idea to take precautions against catching this illness.

What is Lyme Disease?

Lyme Disease is a bacterial infection caused by the bite of an infected tick. Even though news about Lyme Disease seems relatively new, research has shown that Lyme disease has been in the U.S. for over 100 years. The bacterium that causes Lyme Disease is found throughout nature where it lives in the bodies of wild animals and is transmitted from one animal to another through the bite of an infected tick. Humans and pets that catch the disease just happen to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

What are ticks?

Ticks look like insects, but they’re not. Ticks are arachnids, that means they’re related to spiders, mites and chiggers. Like other arachnids, ticks have eight legs, whereas insects have six legs.

If I’m bitten once, can I contract the disease again?

Unfortunately, human beings do not have an immunity to Lyme Disease. A person can be infected, fully recover, and then be infected again with the disease by subsequent tick bites.

How do I avoid being bitten?

If you’re going to perform any outdoor activity, try to avoid areas where ticks live. Ticks that carry Lyme Disease (Deer Ticks and Black-Legged Ticks) live in wooded, bushy and grassy areas…even your lawn or garden. Wear light-colored long pants and long-sleeved shirts, and tuck your pant legs into your socks. This effectively covers up those places on your body that the ticks are most likely to bite and makes them easier to see if they latch onto your clothing. The ticks themselves are tiny, so it’s a good idea to conduct frequent tick-checks. Make sure you check the scalp, behind and in the ears, and the back of the knees and crooks of elbows. A seemingly new freckle or speck of dirt could be a tick. Don’t forget to check your pets too! If available in your area, use commercial tick repellents according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

What if I do find a tick?

A tick's mouth has pointed barbs that are designed to penetrate and help it attach to skin, and then the ticks secrete a gluey substance that helps them stick to whoever or whatever they’ve bitten. If you find out that you or your pet has been bitten by a tick, it’s important to remove it correctly. Just follow the steps outlined below:

• Use fine-pointed tweezers to carefully take hold of the tick near its head, as close to the skin of the bitten person or animal as possible.
• Very slowly and gently pull the tick straight out.
• Drop the tick into a small jar and label it with the victim's name and the date.
• Disinfect the area of the bite with a commercial disinfectant or alcohol.
• Wash your hands, and clean and disinfect the tweezers.
• Mark your calendar with the victim's name and the place of the tick bite.
• Call your doctor to determine if treatment is warranted.
• Watch the area of the tick bite, and the victim for the symptoms of Lyme Disease.

What are the symptoms?

The most physical characteristic of Lyme Disease is the characteristic "bull's-eye" rash found around the bitten area. Other characteristic symptoms of the disease are fever, fatigue, headache, muscle aches, and a general malaise, as well as joint pain. Many victims mistakenly believe that they are suffering from a bout of the flu before finding out it’s Lyme Disease.

How common is it?

The Centers for Disease Control estimate that there have been as many as 2.5 million cases of Lyme disease in the U.S. since 1980.

Summary

When it comes to Lyme Disease, remember that a little prevention can go a long way. Taking the precautions mentioned earlier can help you enjoy the outdoors without putting your health, or the health of your loved ones and pets, at risk.