The bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi and Borrelia mayonii are both responsible for the infection known as Lyme disease. Lyme disease is most prevalent in places where tick species are most prevalent because ticks carry these two bacteria species.
What Percent of Americans Contract Lyme Disease?
In the USA, there are roughly 30,000 confirmed cases of Lyme disease each year. Many more cases of the ailment are likely present but go undiagnosed and unreported, according to theory. Eastern Canada, Manitoba, and the northeastern United States are the areas where Lyme disease is most prevalent.
Lyme Disease Symptoms
The severity of Lyme disease symptoms can range from minor to severe. Since many of the symptoms are similar to the flu and arthritis, mild cases of Lyme disease may go undiagnosed because a person may mistakenly believe they have these conditions rather than Lyme disease.
Symptoms of Lyme disease include the following:
- Headache
- Exhaustion
- Skin rash
- Sore joints
- Bullseye marking on the skin
How to Prevent Lyme Disease
You can take a few steps to reduce your risk of contracting the bacterium that causes Lyme disease. Here are some recommendations for avoiding infection.
- In wooded places, try to avoid going through long grass.
- If you’re going into a woodland region where ticks are present, wear long sleeve shirts, long pants, and closed-toed shoes.
- If you’re going on a walk in the woods, spray 0.2% permethrin insecticide on your clothing and shoes.
- After a hike in the woods, thoroughly inspect your body and clothing for ticks.
- It’s a good idea to take a shower as soon as you come home because doing so may help to remove any ticks that are not securely fastened to your body.
- Ticks should be inspected on your entire body.