People who go into the woods or who work or play near the bushes can get Lyme disease. With care, this serious disease can be prevented.
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection transmitted by ticks. The disease is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi, a bacterium that infects several species of ticks found in woodlands, brushy areas, and costal grasslands. These ticks also carried on the bodies of certain animal's especially white-tailed deer and white-footed field mice. People get Lyme disease after being bitten by and infected tick. The tick must remain attacked for at least 36 hours for infection to occur. The disease is most commonly transmitted in the summer.
The symptoms of Lyme disease vary. For most people, the first sign of infection is a rash. Other early symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, sore throat, and pain in the joints and muscles. Physicians use antibiotics to treat the disease when the illness is diagnosed and treated early, most patients make a full recovery. If untreated, the disease can lead to arthritis, heart abnormalities, and disorders of the nervous system. .
People can reduce the risk of getting Lyme disease by taking precautions against ticks that transmit it. In woody or brushy areas, people should inspect their skin daily for ticks and remove them promptly. It also helps to wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants tucked into socks, and to use inspect repellent. A vaccine that provides some protein against Lyme disease is available. .
Lyme disease occurs in many parts of the world, including Africa, Asia, Australia, and Europe. In the U.S., it is most common in the Northeast states especially Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey. It is most common in the upper Mid-west, especially Wisconsin and Minnesota and the West Coast in parts of California. Large regions, such as Wyoming, seem to find to be free of the disease. The disease gets its name from the town of Lyme, Connecticut, where a cluster of cases occurred in the early 1970's.
