365NEWSX
365NEWSX
Subscribe

Welcome

Why ticks are on the rise this year and how to protect yourself from Lyme disease - CNET

Why ticks are on the rise this year and how to protect yourself from Lyme disease - CNET

Why ticks are on the rise this year and how to protect yourself from Lyme disease - CNET
Jun 11, 2021 1 min, 58 secs

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Lyme disease is an illness caused by bacteria transmitted to humans through the bites of certain species of ticks, including deer ticks or "black-legged" ticks in the US (Ixodes scapularis).

James Marvel, an emergency medicine doctor at Stanford Health Care and wilderness medicine expert, is currently researching the contributing factors to the spread of Lyme disease in the US.

Other factors, like people expanding construction into wooded, tick-filled environments may also be contributing to a Lyme increase, Marvel says.

Andres Bran, infectious disease specialist at the University of Missouri Health Care, says the pandemic may have led more people outdoors and caused them to engage in activities that would expose them to tick bites, such as hiking. .

To better understand Lyme disease and how to stay safe outdoors, we talked to Bran and Marvel about best practices, including how to protect yourself, what to do if you find a tick and more.

Depending on the area, anywhere from less than 1% to more than 50% of ticks carry Lyme disease, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.

"People can keep the tick if they want, just for help with identification to see if it's a species that could transmit Lyme disease," Marvel says.

Both Marvel and Bran say to contact your doctor if you find a tick and live in an area where Lyme disease is present.

Bran says that if the tick bite happened within 72 hours of you finding it and treatment is started, the infection may be prevented.

When infected by a Lyme-carrying tick, people have flu-like and non-specific symptoms, including headache, muscle aches, fatigue, fever, swollen lymph nodes and muscle aches, Bran says.

Ixodes ricinus or "castor bean" ticks like this one can also carry Lyme disease.

The problem with that, Marvel says, is that antibodies can take a while to show up in a blood test -- which also may contribute to underreported cases of Lyme disease.

Research indicates that the real number of Lyme disease cases in the US is likely 10 times higher, according to Marvel

"Acute Lyme disease presentation is the flu-like symptoms, but left untreated, it can progress and some of the complications would be Lyme encephalitis where it could actually affect the brain," Marvel says

According to the CDC, most cases of Lyme disease can be cured within two to four weeks with antibiotics

Summarized by 365NEWSX ROBOTS

RECENT NEWS

SUBSCRIBE

Get monthly updates and free resources.

CONNECT WITH US

© Copyright 2024 365NEWSX - All RIGHTS RESERVED