Lyme Disease

Early Infection

• EM rash
• Muscle and joint aches
• Headache
• Fever
• Fatigue

Early Disseminated Infection

• Multiple EM lesions
• Facial paralysis ( Bell's palsy )
• Persistent headache, stiff neck
• Diffuse numbness, tingling, burning
• Intermittent joint pain and swelling
• Impaired motor coordination
• Irregular heart rhythm
• Muscle pain and swelling

Late Infection

• Painful inflammation of the joints, intermittent or chronic ( arthritis )
• Mild to moderate confusion

Less Common Symptoms of Late Lyme Disease

• Heart abnormalities
• Eye problems such as conjunctivitis
• Chronic skin disorders
• Limb weakness
• Persistent motor coordination problems

Outdoors

• Avoid areas that are likely to be infested with deer ticks—moist, shaded, wooded, or grassy areas. (especially in northeastern, mid-Atlantic, and upper north-central regions of the United States and northwestern California)
• Do the following when going to wooded grassy areas, especially in spring and summer:
  
  • Wear light-colored clothing with a tight weave to spot ticks easily.
  • Wear enclosed shoes.
  • Wear a long sleeve shirt and tuck it into your pants.
  • Tuck pants into socks or boot tops.
  • Wear a hat.
• Apply insect repellent containing DEET to clothes and exposed skin. Insect repellents containing permethrin can be applied to pants, socks, and shoe, but not to skin. Both products can cause eye irritation and DEET can cause skin reactions, so be sure to follow label directions for application, including:
  
  • Do not apply near eyes, nose, or mouth.
  • Do not apply to children's hands.
  • Wash your skin when you return indoors.
• Stay on cleared, well-traveled paths and walk in the center of trails to avoid overgrown grass and brush. Avoid sitting on the ground or stone walls.
• Remove leaf litter, brush, and woodpiles from around the home and the edges of the yard.

Tick Management

• Put clothes worn outdoors in the dryer for 20 minutes to kill unseen ticks.
• Deer ticks are unlikely to infect unless they remain in contact with the skin for at least 24 hours. This leaves ample time to do a full-body check for ticks at the end of a day spent outdoors.
• Check pets for ticks.
• Not all ticks carry Lyme disease. Deer ticks are very small, approximately the size of a poppy seed.
• If you do find a tick, remove it by doing the following:
  
  • Use a pair of tweezers to grasp the tick by the head or mouthparts as close to the skin as possible.
  • Pull directly outward, gently but firmly, with steady even force. Do not twist the tick out. Try not to crush the tick's body or handle it with bare fingers because this can spread infection.
  • Do not put a hot match to the tick or cover it with petroleum jelly, nail polish, or any other substance.
  • After the tick is removed, swab the site thoroughly with an antiseptic to prevent infection.

Medication

Taking antibiotics, including a single dose of doxycycline, after a known tick bite has been shown to reduce the risk of contracting Lyme disease. The risk of catching Lyme disease after a single tick bite is low, and many experts do not necessarily recommend preventive antibiotic treatment even in parts of the country with relatively high Lyme disease risk.