Lyme Disease

Seek immediate medical attention if you live in or have visited an area where Lyme disease is common and you experience a flulike illness or develop a red or target-like rash anytime from late spring to early fall. Prompt treatment at this stage reduces the risk of further symptoms of Lyme disease.

• Remove any attached ticks by pulling them off you. Removing them promptly is more important than how you remove them. If you cannot remove an attached tick, see your doctor, who will remove it.
• Following removal of a tick, you should see a doctor if any flulike symptoms or rash develop within the next three weeks. If a rash develops, draw a line around it with ink which does not wash off (Magic Marker or Sharpie) each day to see if it is growing.
• Young children with fever  and severe headache should see a doctor immediately, because these may be their only symptoms.
• Outdoor workers and anyone whose hobbies or recreational activities place them in wooded or brush areas should be particularly aware of these symptoms because their environmental exposure increases contact with the deer tick.

Lyme disease should be treated promptly; if you cannot see your doctor quickly, go to a hospital's emergency department immediately.

• When the initial disease is not treated, your symptoms may go away, but additional symptoms of Lyme disease can occur months later.
• When this happens, Lyme disease can affect your heart, your muscles and joints, or your nervous system. Since these symptoms can occur with other diseases, be sure to tell your doctor about travel to areas with a high tick population or if you have any possible exposures to ticks (from pets, gardening, walking, or camping in wooded areas, etc.).

Self-Care at Home

Health departments in areas with high rates of infection have undertaken campaigns to raise public awareness of Lyme disease.

• It is known that certain outdoor areas are highly infested with deer ticks and should be avoided if possible -- these include woods and brush areas.
• Generally, the tick counts on suburban  lawns are much lower.

Follow-up

Follow-up with continued care is important for people who have early Lyme disease but who fail to improve rapidly and completely.

• Doctors must consider other treatment options and rule out other illnesses that may be mistaken for Lyme disease.
• People with later-stage disease who require IV antibiotics or hospitalization must be monitored in the weeks following their treatment.
• Improvement in the symptoms of Lyme disease, particularly in the heart and nervous system, may occur gradually over a period of months. Lack of immediate improvement in all your symptoms is not a sign of unsuccessful treatment.

Prevention

In the quest to ward off Lyme disease, you have three strategies at your disposal:

Avoidance

• Steer clear of woodlands and brush areas where ticks thrive, especially during the peak season of summer and early fall.
• Don protective attire to act as a shield against tick bites.
• Tuck your pant legs into your socks to thwart ticks from making their way up to your skin. Wearing light-colored clothing can aid in spotting ticks more easily.
• Applying DEET insecticide (preferably in low concentrations) to both clothing and skin has been proven effective in reducing tick bites and the risk of Lyme infections. However, be cautious when using DEET on children to avoid excessive absorption.

Removal

To transmit Borrelia, deer ticks need to remain attached to your skin for about 24-48 hours. Therefore, it's crucial to inspect your body thoroughly after outdoor activities.

If you notice a tick bite, keep a close watch for symptoms, which usually manifest about three weeks later.

Ticks tend to attach to warm and moist areas, including the groin, armpits, the undersides of a woman's breasts, and the neck and hairline.

• If you spot a tick, promptly remove it to significantly reduce the chances of infection.
• If you have tweezers, grasp the tick as close to your skin as possible and gently lift it away, pulling gradually but firmly. If tweezers aren't available, you can use your fingers to pull the tick off by its body. The method of removal matters less than the act of removal itself.
• The tick's mouth parts may not always come out entirely with the rest of the tick. Leaving them behind doesn't increase the risk of disease transmission but could lead to local infection or a foreign body reaction.
• After removal, disinfect the bite site thoroughly with alcohol or another skin antiseptic solution.
• Avoid using gasoline, petroleum, or other organic solvents to suffocate ticks, as well as burning the tick with a match.
• If the tick doesn't come off easily, you can twist the tweezers like a corkscrew while holding the tick and lift it upwards.

Antibiotic Treatment

If you've been bitten by a tick, seeking treatment with antibiotics within 72 hours of the bite is recommended. A single dose of doxycycline has been shown to prevent Lyme disease. This course of action is especially relevant if you live in an area where Lyme disease is prevalent and have removed an engorged tick or multiple ticks. Consult your doctor for guidance.