Now that spring is finally here, many of us are spending much more time outdoors enjoying the nice weather. But with that extra time outdoors comes the danger of encountering ticks who live in the tall grass and wooded areas in many of our communities. These ticks can carry serious illnesses, including Lyme disease. Every year in May we mark Lyme Disease Awareness Month to help Illinoisans learn how to avoid ticks, prevent Lyme disease and recognize and treat the symptoms should you or a loved one contract it.
About 40% of black-legged ticks tested are found to be positive for Lyme disease. Every year there around 476,000 new cases of the disease reported nationwide. Working an outdoor job increases a person’s exposure to ticks, but any outdoor activity can lead to an encounter with a tick. Treat clothing and outdoor gear with the tick repellant permethrin. Once you come back inside, check your clothing and your body for ticks. If you find a tick, use fine-pointed tweezers to remove it, save the tick for testing and talk with your doctor if you have concerns.
If a person is infected with Lyme, the first symptoms can often present as very general and can be easily mistaken for other illnesses. Fatigue, fever, chills, headache and minor joint pain are some of the common initial symptoms. The bullseye rash which is thought by many to be a telltale sign of Lyme is usually only present in about half of all cases, so while seeing the bullseye rash is a very strong indicator of Lyme, the lack of a bullseye rash does not necessarily mean someone does not have Lyme disease.
Find out more about how to protect yourself and your loved ones from Lyme disease by visiting the Illinois Lyme Association.