Love the Great Outdoors? Protect Yourself from Lyme Disease

Deer ticks are much smaller than dog or wood ticks — about the size of a poppy seed in their immature stage — so, they often attach to your skin unnoticed. If an infected tick remains attached for 36 to 48 hours, its saliva can transmit Lyme disease bacteria.

Take these measures to prevent tick bites and possible infection:

• Avoid woods, brush, marshes and tall grasses — especially in May, June and July, when the ticks are in their immature stage.
• Stick to the center of trails when hiking.
• Choose light-colored clothing to show the dark ticks more readily.
• Wear a hat, a long-sleeved shirt and long pants tucked into socks with closed-toed shoes. Tie back long hair.
• Consider using DEET-containing insect repellant. Follow package instructions carefully.
• Check yourself and your children daily for ticks. Pay particular attention to the scalp, ears, underarms, trunk, groin and backs of knees. Also, check pets that are allowed outdoors.
• Wash and dry clothing worn in tick-infested areas at high temperatures.

The most common symptom of Lyme disease is a circular, red rash around the bite area. The rash, which usually appears in three days to a month after the bite, may feel hot but is generally not sore or itchy. It can expand over time, clearing at the center to resemble a bull’s-eye. Though the rash disappears after several days or weeks without treatment, the infection is still there. Also common: flu-like symptoms of chills, fatigue, headache, stiff neck and muscle and joint pain.

See a doctor right away if you think you have been bitten by a tick and experience such symptoms. The sooner the infection is treated with antibiotics, the better it will heal. Untreated, Lyme disease can cause serious health problems.

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