Lyme Disease is an infectious disease caused by a bacterium called Borelia Burgdorferi and is caused by the bite of backlegged ticks.
This month of May marks the Lyme Disease Awareness Month that reminds people to beware of tick bites when exploring outdoors to avoid this disease.
According to the recent data, diseases from mosquitoes, ticks and flea bites tripled not only in the United States but also in some Tropical countries. Expert warns people to protect themselves from bites to avoid Lyme disease, which is the most common tick-borne disease.
What are the Symptoms of Lyme Disease?
Typical Symptoms of Lyme Disease includes:
- Fever
- Headache
- Fatigue
- Skin rash called erythema migrans.
Ways to prevent Lyme Disease.
Here are some measures that you can use to prevent yourself from this dreadful disease.
- Keep yourself covered
To avoid getting tick bites, wear long sleeved clothes and pants to keep your arms and legs covered whenever you’re out in the country side.
- Use insect repellent
Insect repellent are particularly helpful as it blocks your scent from insects.
- Avoid their habitat
As much as you do extra measures to avoid getting bites from mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas, it is still better that you avoid spending time in areas where they live. In particularly long grassed areas, humid undergrowth, prairies, meadows, and fields.
- Check yourself
Always check yourself when you’re home every time you go outside as you may carry some ticks and fleas with you. Check in areas like armpits, fold of skin, the scalp and navel so you can remove them without causing further damage to you.
- If ever you find a tick clinging in your skin, always remember that the ticks have to be removed as soon as possible to avoid infection. You may use a pair of tweezers or a tick-removal tool from a pharmacy that grasp the ticks that are close to the skin. Avoid twisting the tick as it can cause parts to break and remain in the skin.
- After removing the tick, clean the bite with soap and water, iodine scrub or rubbing alcohol.
