Travelers, campers, and vacationers alike can be at risk for getting Lyme disease, a serious, debilitating condition caused by being bitten by an infected tick.

What are the symptoms of Lyme disease?

Some symptoms of Lyme disease are the classic bull\’s-eye red rash, loss of energy and fatigue, feeling sleepy, a tingling and numbness, swollen and painful joints, memory loss, and a feeling like you are getting the flu. A less common symptom is paralysis of the face.

Getting Lyme disease can make your life miserable and cause you a lot of pain and suffering if it is not diagnosed and treated immediately. The longer you wait before seeing a health care professional allows this disease to progress quickly and it may not be possible to lessen it\’s effects.

How is Lyme disease usually spread?

Ticks bite and then feed on animals such as mice, other small rodents, and deer. If any of these animals are carrying Lyme disease bacteria, they can then pass it on to the ticks. When people get bitten by an infected tick they can contract Lyme disease.

What are the best ways to reduce the chance of contracting Lyme disease?

Some people do not have symptoms that show right away so prevention is always the best policy. If you are traveling in the spring and summer months to or through areas where deer, mice, other rodents and animals live, the following are some things you can do.

If you are camping on vacation or holidays, you can limit the number of ticks around your campsite by reducing the brush and leaves debris. Wear light colored clothing so you can more easily see these very tiny black insects and remove them before they attach to your skin. Be sure you wear long-sleeved shirts and tuck them into your pants. Also tuck your pant cuffs into your socks. It is also a good idea to wear rubber boots as ticks are usually found close to the ground. However, you can also get them in your hair if you brush against leaves on a low tree branch. Wearing a light-colored, wide-brimmed hat may help. Be sure to check your skin and scalp carefully as ticks can easily be overlooked, especially in your hair. Applying a DEET containing insect repellent to your clothes and exposed skin, as well as applying the insecticide permethrin to your clothes will also help.

How can ticks be safely removed?

Ticks that have burrowed and lodged themselves under your skin can be removed by using small-tipped tweezers. Make sure that you don\’t leave any part of the tick remaining underneath your skin. When the tick has been completely removed, disinfect the wound thoroughly with alcohol or hydrogen peroxide. Remember that you are not totally out of the woods yet as symptoms can take several days, even weeks before any show. Using tweezers is the only safe way to remove ticks that have attached or burrowed into your skin or scalp. Don\’t try to remove ticks using burnt matches, petroleum jelly, or alcohol as this will only make the ticks release more of the bacteria into your blood stream.

Please note that there is no vaccine available for Lyme disease at the present time.

According to the Center For Disease Control And Prevention (CDC) this bacterial disease is under reported, perhaps by more than over 100,000 cases per year in the U.S. alone. You can visit cdc.gov for more information on Lyme disease.

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