Continue to Protect Yourself, Loved Ones Against Lyme Disease

It infects about 300,000 people a year, roughly 10 times more Americans than previously reported. “A nymph only has about twenty something percent of them carry the disease”, said Onondaga County Health Department Medical Director Dr. Quoc Nguyen. To start, we should educate ourselves about the problem.

People are commonly reminded about ticks and Lyme disease in the spring, as May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month. “A lot of the symptoms are not specific to Lyme disease, but if you experience any of the above symptoms, this should at least prompt an evaluation by your health care provider”.

Also keep in mind there’s more of a chance to attain Lyme disease from an adult tick bite now than in the spring. The rash begins as a small red area at the site of the bite that slowly enlarges and leaves a clear center with an outer ring (bull’s eye rash).

The good news is that in most cases, if caught early, Lyme disease can be successfully treated with a course of antibiotics, according to the CDC. Although she is still being treated for Lyme disease, Lavigne recently returned to the stage, feeling well enough to perform at the Special Olympics Opening Ceremony in Los Angeles last Saturday. The bacterium lives in mice, squirrels and other small animals.

The first line of defense against Lyme is to take precautions in the outdoors by using insect repellent with DEET, wearing long sleeve shirts and long trousers, checking for – and promptly and properly removing – any ticks, and showering shortly after exposure. People who live, travel, or work in areas that may be infested with ticks.

Allison Spayer, the veterinarian at McNabb Veterinary, said Lyme disease is diagnosed pretty frequently, mostly in dogs, in Bureau, Putnam and LaSalle counties. See your doctor. Be sure to inform your doctor if you have been bitten by a tick or have been in areas that have ticks.