Bedford Observes Lyme Disease Awareness Day

As a recently joined member of the Middlesex Tick Task Force, the town of Bedford will be observing Lyme Disease Awareness Day on Saturday, according to the Bedford Board of Health. 

Bedford residents can participate in Lyme Disease Awareness Day by simply taking the time to learn more about Lyme Disease and the regional public health issue of tick-borne diseases, at the behest of the Tick Task Force. 

There are several ways to check for ticks, but the telltale bulls eye rash (see photo above), known as erythema migrans or EM, won't always be present to let you know you could have lyme disease, according to the Tick Task Force.

"Many people think that a tick bite followed by a bulls eye rash is the only symptom to look for when it comes to Lyme, but did you know that a rash appears only 70 to 80 percent of the time," according to a release from the Board of Health. 

Other telltale signs of tick born illness, according to the Tick Task Force, include fever and chills, headache, fatigue, muscle aches and joint pain.

For more resources on preventing tick borne illness, check out http://www.cdc.gov/ticks and http://www.tickencounter.org.