U.S. Lyme Disease Cases on the Rise:
How to Avoid This Dangerous Tick-Borne Illness
by www.SixWise.com

Lyme disease, a tick-borne illness that can cause rash, body aches and even temporary paralysis, has been growing in the United States.

In 2007, the most recent year for which data is available, 27,444 cases of Lyme disease were reported compared to under 9,000 in 1993.

Lyme disease is caused by a bacterium called Borrelia burgdorferi, which is carried primarily by black-legged ticks (also known as deer ticks). If an infected tick bites you (ticks feed on blood and will attach to a host, including mice, cats, dogs or humans), it can transfer the bacteria through your skin and into your bloodstream.

Tough anyone can get Lyme disease, you are most at risk if you spend a lot of time in wooded or grassy areas where ticks thrive. In the United States deer ticks in particular are most common in the Northeast and Midwest, along with northwestern states like Oregon and Washington.

Symptoms of Lyme Disease

In up to 80 percent of cases, the first sign of Lyme disease is a circular rash that begins at the site of the tick bite (after about three to 30 days). The rash typically widens slowly over the course of several days. Some people also experience:

• Fatigue

• Chills

• Fever

• Headache

• Muscle and joint aches

• Swollen lymph nodes

If left untreated, the infection can spread throughout your body causing more severe symptoms that include:

• Bell’s palsy (the loss of muscle tone on one or both sides of your face)

• Headaches and neck stiffness due to meningitis

• Heart palpitations

• Joint pain

• Dizziness

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Although these symptoms often resolve without treatment, about 60 percent of people with untreated Lyme disease experience arthritis and severe joint pain and swelling. And in about 5 percent of cases, chronic neurological symptoms may develop, including numbness or tingling in your hands or feet and problems with concentration and short-term memory.

How to Prevent Lyme Disease

If you eliminate the cause then there is no need for a cure, and in the case of Lyme disease the “cause” is a tick bite. So you can drastically reduce your chances of getting Lyme disease by taking the following precautions to avoid exposure to ticks:

• Avoid tick-infested areas. Many parks and health departments have information about tick infestations.

• Protect your pets with All-Natural Flea 'n Tick B Gone. Please AVOID using conventional flea and tick treatments on your pets, as they contain harmful pesticides or chemicals, such as DEET, pyrethrins, synthetic pyrethroids or permethrin, all of which can be harmful and irritating to your pet, the person applying them and our environment.

Instead, use the top-recommended Flea 'n Tick B Gone, which is completely non-toxic, pesticide-free and safe. It can be sprayed directly onto your dog, cat or horse for effective and natural tick control.

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• Keep your yard well maintained, trimmed and mowed. This will help to keep ticks away.

• Wear long sleeves and pants. When hiking or spending any amount of time in nature, you should cover your arms and legs, and tuck your pants into your socks. This will make it much harder for a tick to attach to you.

What to do if You’ve Been Bitten by a Tick and Suspect You Have Lyme Disease

Keep in mind that just because you’ve been bitten by a tick it does not mean you’ll get Lyme disease. Only certain types of ticks carry Lyme disease, and of them only a minority carry the bacteria.

However, you should see your doctor immediately if you’ve been bitten by a tick and experience signs of Lyme disease because treatment is typically most effective when started early. Lyme disease is typically treated with antibiotics.

Ticks can also transmit other diseases aside from Lyme disease, such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever, anaplasmosis, Tularemia and Colorado tick fever, so if you’re concerned make sure your doctor rules those out as well.

Recommended Reading

Climate Change Causing Increases in Tick-Borne Diseases … What You Need to Know Before Venturing Outside This Spring

How to Recognize and Treat 7 Different Bug Bites

Sources

U.S. CDC, Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases, Lyme Disease

MayoClinic.com Lyme Disease