Preventing Lyme Disease

Millions of Americans will spend their summer vacation in the great outdoors hiking back trails and camping underneath the moonlight. They'll bring back pictures and memories, and some of them will bring back the borrelia burgdorferi bacterium which results in lyme disease.

Lyme disease has faded from the headlines over the last decade but that doesn't mean it has disappeared. The CDC has reported cases of lyme disease in all states, but it is most prevalent in the Northeast and Great Lakes areas of the country. You can look at your areas own lyme disease risk at ( http://www.aldf.com/usmap.shtml). You can not catch lyme disease from another person with the disease. It is transmitted to humans from the bite of an infected tick. So avoiding infection is as easy as avoiding the bite of these pests. That doesn't mean that you have to confine yourself to the living room couch, just that you must take preparations before spending time in a wooded or overgrown area. The most important thing is to wear clothing that minimizes the amount of skin you expose. Wear closed toed shoes and tuck your pants into your socks to keep bugs away from your skin. This is easy during winter months but during the summer the last thing you want is heavy apparel. Opt for outfits that are lightweight and breathable but still cover as much of your skin as possible. It is better to wear light colored clothing so you can spot a tick easily and remove it before it attaches to the body. If you insist on wearing shorts be sure to apply tick repellent with DEET throughout the day. Check yourself for ticks or tick bites at the end of the day. These rules are not just for those camping and hiking but also for people who work in overgrown vegetation or garden as a hobby. Gardeners should invest in a good pair of gloves that are cuffed at the wrist.