Learn how to protect your family from Lyme Disease

Lyme disease (LD) is an infection caused by a bacterium called a “spirochete” (pronounced spy-ro-keet) that is carried by deer ticks. An infected tick passes the bacterium to the humans and animals it bites. Untreated, the bacterium travels through the bloodstream, infects body tissues, and can cause a number of symptoms, some of which are severe. If treated early with antibiotics, LD is almost always cured. That’s why it’s important to know what to look for.

The first symptom is usually a red rash, usually (but not always) appearing at the site of the tick bite. It can look like a solid red expanding rash or blotch, OR a red spot surrounded by clear skin that is ringed by an expanding red rash (like a bull’s-eye). It appears 1 to 2 weeks after the tick bite, is usually not painful or itchy, and lasts 3-5 weeks.

Around the time the rash appears, other symptoms such as joint pains, chills, fever, and fatigue are common, but they may not seem serious enough for medical attention. These symptoms may be brief, only to recur and be more serious as the disease progresses. Other symptoms include a stiff, aching neck, tingling or numbness in the hands and feet or paralysis of the face.

The more severe symptoms of later-stage LD may occur weeks, months, or, in a few cases, years after a tick bite. These can include severe headaches, painful arthritis and swelling of joints, heart problems, and problems with the central nervous system that may lead to mental disorders.

To remove a tick, follow these steps:

• Using a pair of fine-pointed tweezers, press the tweezers firmly together and grasp the tick by the head or mouthparts right where they enter the skin, NOT by the body.
  
• Without jerking, pull firmly and steadily directly outward. DO NOT twist the tick out or apply any kind of irritant to the tick in an attempt to get it to back out.
  
• Place the tick in a jar of alcohol to kill it.
  
• Clean the bite wound with disinfectant, and check regularly for a rash or other early symptoms of LD.
  
• If you think you have LD symptoms, you should see your physician immediately.
  

To prevent LD in the first place, do a full-body tick-check at the end of the day (also check children and pets). Studies have shown that an infected tick normally doesn’t transmit the bacterium until it has been attached to its host about 36-48 hours; the best line of defense against LD, therefore, is to check yourself at least once daily and remove any ticks before they become swollen with blood. Keep in mind that young deer ticks are the size of poppy seeds; adult deer ticks are the size of sesame seeds.

For more tips on prevention, contact your medical provider, or the American Lyme Disease Foundation at www.aldf.com or (914) 277-6970.