Tick, Tack, Toe: Lyme Disease Part Two

Tack: When outside this summer, cover your head and wear white socks, which makes the ticks more visible. When in deep woods, tuck your pants into your socks.

 Toe: Although ticks live in the brush, they may attach to your legs and climb up. Be sure to inspect loved ones when they come in from the outdoors, checking not only the sockline, legs, and ankles, but also under undergarments and the hairline. Comb hair thoroughly. Pets can also bring ticks into the home, so keep them in areas of shorter grass and groom regularly. Pets can also become infected themselves.

 Many cases of Lyme disease are arrested early by a 6-week regimen of antibiotics. Your doctor may start this right away if you present with a deer tick or the characteristic bullseye rash; testing is sadly unreliable and will show negative values until a few weeks after the bite occurred.

 Fortunately, by September rates of this disease drop dramatically. Until home page then, be careful!