OUCH! Did you feel that little guy bite you!?!?!? Meet Tick found in "Anywhere", Mississippi! It possibly just infected you with Lyme Disease. Now that the weather is warmer and you are spending more and more time outdoors it's time to think about LYME Disease. These guys can be silent and if left untreated can have some bad side effects. You don't always notice when you get a tick bite!
Lyme disease is caused by a spirochete, or corkscrew-shaped bacterium. Ticks transmit it to humans and animals when they bite you. NOT every tick carries lyme disease.
Flu-like symptoms may include headaches, swollen lymph nodes, stiff and painful joints and muscles, fatigue, and low-grade fever. Other symptoms of early-stage Lyme disease may include changes in vision and hearing, tingling or numbness of extremities, heart abnormalities, rib soreness, shortness of breath, and facial palsy (Bell’s palsy).
A rash may appear. It will be shaped like a bull’s-eye at the site of a tick bite. This rash is a definitive indication of infection. However, it should be noted that similar rashes may occur as a result of allergic reactions to tick bites.
Symptoms may occur several weeks after infection. People who do not develop the rash often go untreated for some time. A relatively short course of antibiotics at this stage can cure Lyme disease.
What can you do?
Avoid tick-infested areas when ticks are most active.
Wear light-colored clothes to make it easier to spot ticks, and wear long-sleeved shirts.
Tuck pant legs into socks or boots, and tuck shirts into pants. When ticks attach to their prey, they move upward, looking for places to attach. Wear closed-toed shoes.
Apply insect repellents containing permethrin to pants, socks, and shoes. You can apply repellents containing DEET or picaridin to skin, but wash them off after coming indoors.
Walk in the middle of trails to avoid grasses and shrubs.
After being outdoors, wash and dry your clothing on the hot setting.
Thoroughly inspect your body, and remove any ticks.
To remove a tick, use tweezers to grasp it by the head or mouthparts, and pull firmly.
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