Deer Tick Lyme Disease

If you spend time outdoors, you've probably heard about Lyme disease caused by the deer tick. This disease was identified in 1975 in Lyme, Connecticut, where the first cases of people affected by Lyme disease were diagnosed. Since then, thousands of people every year are infected with the disease.

What is Lyme Disease?

• Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted to humans by the deer tick, or Ixodes scapularis. An infected tick bites the human, injecting the bacteria and causing the disease.

How is it transmitted?

• A human gets Lyme disease by getting bitten by an infected deer tick. The deer tick picks up the disease by feeding on infected animals such as field mice or other rodents that are wild. When the tick moves to another host, the infection is transferred by a tick bite. In order for humans to get the disease, the tick much stay attached for at least 24 hours. The infected tick has a 2-year life cycle in which it can spread the disease.

Where is it found?

• Almost every state in the United States has reported some case of Lyme disease. The disease seems to be concentrated in certain areas such as the east coastal states, the northern part of California, and the states in the north central region. States such as Wisconsin, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island seem to account for the major percentage of cases.

  In the Great Lakes region of the country, the black-legged tick spreads the disease; in the Pacific Northwest, it's spread by the western black-legged tick. People getting the disease are more likely to pick it up in the summer.

Symptoms

• Lyme disease generally has several symptoms attached. Sometimes it will start as a circular rash that's red, in the area where the tick bite occurred. The size of the rash will enlarge as time goes on but generally is not itchy or painful. Other symptoms such as fever, tiredness, chills, stiff neck and joint pain are also likely to occur with the rash. Not everyone who has contracted the disease will show a rash.

Risks

• If Lyme disease is left untreated, other conditions such as meningitis, heart problems, encephalitis, arthritis and facial palsy can occur. These conditions will generally surface after the disease has been left untreated for several weeks or months. It's also possible to have pain and swelling in the joints that are larger, years after being infected by the untreated disease. The basic symptoms of the disease will appear usually within the first month, but more serious conditions can take years to show up.

Treatment

• As with any condition, it's best to catch and treat it as soon as possible. Lyme disease is treatable with antibiotics. Treatment will usually last for 3 to 4 weeks, but in more serious cases a longer dose may be required. It's possible to become re-infected with Lyme disease if bitten by another infected tick.

Prevention/Solution

• As more people are moving into areas that were once wild, the disease is spreading. Avoiding ticks is the only way to prevent the disease from occurring. When outside, make sure to wear long-sleeved shirts and tuck your pants into your socks. Make sure to check yourself for any ticks once you're back inside. Spray yourself with an insect repellent before venturing into the wild. If a tick is found on your body, remove it as soon as possible. The best way to remove a tick is with tweezers. The ticks that are found on dogs do not carry Lyme disease.