Lyme Disease Prevention: What You Need to Know

by Hana Pak

With approximately 20,000 cases reported annually¹, Lyme disease is the fastest-growing vector-borne disease in America². Transmitted through the bite of a black-legged (Ixodes) tick, those infected can experience symptoms ranging from skin rashes to migraines, heart palpitations, and even nerve damage.

Historically, contracting Lyme was mainly associated with forest exploration. However, the threat of falling victim to the disease has recently expanded to urban dwellers, with cases even being reported in New York City². Residents of the Northeast, Northwest California, and Great Lakes regions are currently at the highest risk of contracting Lyme disease, but everyone must be on high alert as the black-legged tick population continues to expand its territory each year¹. Luckily, awareness is the key to protection, and this month, we will outline the warning signs and tips to keep yourself and your family safe.

What better way to observe Lyme Disease Awareness Month than by helping stem the spread? Read on to learn the symptoms and best ways to prevent a tick bite.

How is it Spread?

The bacteria responsible for Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi, exists harmlessly in many common forest creatures such as birds, mice, deer, lizards, and voles. Within a tick’s two-year life cycle, it must feed three times on the blood of any animal. If the blood is from an animal that is simultaneously acting as a reservoir for Borrelia burgdorferi, the tick will also become infected. Humans will become infected if they are subsequently bitten by an infected tick⁴.

What are the Symptoms in Humans?

While the animal hosts for Borrelia burgdorferi appear to be unharmed by their coexistence, in humans, the bacteria will cause a systemic inflammatory response. This reaction causes symptoms to emerge with increasing intensity as the bacterial population grows in its human host². Around 36 hours after a bite, the first of the three infection stages will present itself with a red, expanding rash resembling a bullseye (erythema migrans), fever, fatigue, muscle aches, joint pain, and headaches. After a few days to a few weeks, symptom severity increases and can cause neurological symptoms such as numbness, tingling, weakness, or facial paralysis. Additionally, movement may cause discomfort due to joint pain, stiffness, or swelling. Heart issues will also begin to present themselves with irregular heartbeats, chest pain, and dizziness. The singular rash will expand into multiple blotches or ‘bullseyes’ all over the body. The final stage of the disease includes worsening joint pain and stiffness, particularly in the knees, and more severe neurological symptoms such as burning sensations in the hands and feet, memory issues, confusion, and trouble concentrating³. With antibiotics, the disease can be effectively cured in its earlier stages, though some may experience chronic Lyme disease symptoms long-term even after completing treatment.

How Can I Stay Safe?

The best way to avoid Lyme disease is to prevent tick bites and to learn how to disrupt feeding if bitten. Following these tips can keep you and your loved ones safe!⁵

While outside in tick habitat:

Wear light-colored clothing to spot ticks easily.
Keep exposed skin covered to increase the chances of the tick falling off before making skin contact.
Apply repellent to skin and clothing or wear permethrin-treated clothing to deter ticks from attaching.

After returning indoors:

Perform a thorough tick check to improve the likelihood of spotting ticks before they can bite.
Change clothes and run worn clothes in the dryer on high heat to kill ticks hiding in clothing.
Take a shower or bath to easily spot biting ticks and dislodge crawling ticks.

Precautionary measures:

Receive an anti-tick vaccine. This will disrupt the tick feeding duration and reduce the risk of bacterial transmission.
Apply an acaricidal skin product or ingest an oral acaricidal product to disrupt feeding.

Safe Tick Removal

If you find an attached tick, do not pull it out! Direct pulling could cause the head to detach from the tick body, which can still cause infection. Instead, apply a thick layer of Vaseline to the bite site and wait a few minutes. This will block all oxygen from reaching the tick, and it will soon return to the surface of the skin to breathe. When the tick is no longer burrowed, you can easily wipe the tick off and monitor the bite site for any signs of infection.

For Your Furry Friends

Since ticks can be difficult to spot in the fur of our pets, a monthly tick preventative will kill them instantly upon feeding. Please consult your veterinarian for recommendations.

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