Prevent Lyme Disease with These Tips

From the Virginia Department of Health Prince William Health District:

As we take advantage of the warmer weather  and  spend more time outdoors, it is important to take the necessary precautions to prevent Lyme disease, the most common tick-borne illness in Virginia.  The first of May marks the beginning of Lyme Disease Awareness Month. Due to the unseasonably warm winter we had this year, it is suspected that there will be an increase in the number of ticks, and therefore, cases of Lyme disease.

Know the Facts:

1. Lyme disease can only be transmitted through the bite of an infected black-legged tick (a.k.a. deer tick), not from person to person, or animal to person.

2. Most black-legged ticks are not infected with the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, so a bite by a black-legged tick usually does not mean exposure to Lyme disease.

3. Black-legged ticks typically get on a person by climbing on the person’s shoes or feet first. They cannot jump or fly.

4. While black-legged ticks are most commonly found in wooded areas, it is suspected that many infected people picked up the infectious tick in their own backyard. Our furry four legged friends often carry ticks into our yards or houses from the woods.

5. Acquiring Lyme disease is most common during the late spring and early summer months, however, Lyme disease can be acquired year round, particularly during warmer days of the fall and winter.

6. Black-legged ticks typically range in size from as small as a pinhead or poppy seed to as large as a sesame seed.    

7. The small nymph stage black-legged tick is about the size of a poppy seed and is usually responsible for transmitting Lyme disease to people.

8. Typically it takes at least 36 hours for an attached infected black-legged tick to transmit the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, therefore daily tick checks are critical as early detection and removal can dramatically reduce the likelihood of disease transmission!

9. A rash that is at least two inches in diameter and expanding , and often has the appearance of  a bull’s eye, is the clearest indicator that you may have Lyme disease.  However not everyone notices or develops the rash. The rash will develop within 3-30days of exposure and can be variable in appearance (is not always round and may be all red).

10. Symptoms of Lyme disease, other than the characteristic rash, are similar to those of the flu:  fever, headache, achy joints, fatigue.

11. A two-stage blood test (ELISA followed by a Western Blot IgM) is sometimes used to diagnose early Lyme disease.  However, some infected persons may not develop detectable antibodies until 2 or more weeks after the onset of illness.  

12. Early stage Lyme disease can be treated with 2 weeks of an appropriate antibiotic.

13. If left untreated, later stages of Lyme disease infection can cause neurological debilitations or other symptoms, including:  bell’s palsy, numbness in extremities, or sharp pains, cardiac defects and/or  arthritis and swelling in the large joints.

14. Co-infection with other tick-borne disease agents  is possible. Other less common diseases that the blacklegged  tick can carry are anaplasmosis and babesiosis.

15. There is currently not a vaccine against Lyme disease available for humans

Tips for Preventing Lyme Disease:

•  Avoid wooded areas and walk on designated trails when possible.
• Wear light colored clothing to make detection of attached ticks easier.
• Tuck pants legs into socks and shirts into pants.
• Leave as little skin exposed as possible.
• Consider “tick-safe zoning” your yard by removing piles of leaves, keeping grass and weeds cut, creating a barrier between wooded areas and lawns using gravel and/or wood chips, planting deer resistant shrubs, and landscaping so that playground sets, decks and lawn furniture are within the barrier and far from wooded areas. .
• Before camping, hiking, or gardening, spray clothes and shoes with a tick repellent that contains permethrin.  One application of permethrin to your clothing can last through several washes. Permethrin should NOT be sprayed on the skin. Don’t forget to spray your shoes!
• Apply a tick repellent that contains at least 20%- DEET to exposed skin.  Repellents containing other active ingredients (e.g., picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, BioUD, or IR 3535) may also be effective. Carefully follow label directions when applying a repellent on small children.  
• Leave shoes outside or check shoes for ticks before walking indoors
• Remove clothing as soon as possible after being in a wooded or shady grassy area (garden, parks, etc.) and wash in hot water and dry on high heat. If clothing is not washed , running them on high heat in the dryer  should kill any tick that is attached.
• Check your body for ticks immediately after being outdoors, particularly in the folds of skin, under arms, behind legs, ankles, waist line, scalp, etc.
• Shower and wash with soap as soon as possible after outdoor activities.
• If you find a tick, know the proper removal technique using fine tip tweezers to grasp the tick by its mouth parts, as close to the skin as possible, and avoid crushing the body.  Do NOT try to remove the tick using a match, petroleum jelly, alcohol or nail polish.
• If you find a tick, consider saving it in a small container with alcohol in case symptoms develop later. Identification of the tick can indicate what disease agent(s) the tick might have transmitted.
•  If you develop the symptoms associated with Lyme disease (bull’s eye rash and/or fever, fatigue, headache achy joints after a possible outdoor exposure) contact your doctor.
• Do NOT allow the risk of acquiring Lyme disease deter you from an active, outdoor lifestyle! Know the facts, use preventative measures, check for ticks daily, exercise proper removal of ticks if found, and recognize the signs!
• For more information:

Prince William Health District:  http://www.pwcgov.org/government/dept/health/Pages/Lyme-Disease-Page.aspx Contact: Rachele Bowman Rachele.bowman@vdh.virginia.gov

Virginia Department of Health: http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/epidemiology/DEE/Vectorborne/TickBrochure.pdf

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/