When you're outside this spring and summer, prevent tick bites and reduce your risk of Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases by following these tips:
More cases of Lyme disease are reported than any other vector-borne disease in the United States. There were 29,959 confirmed cases and 8509 probable cases of Lyme disease in the United States in 2009; most of these cases are reported from the Northeast and upper Midwest. See more on Lyme disease statistics.Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi.
People become infected with the Lyme disease bacteria when they are bitten by an infected blacklegged tick.As we start spending more time outdoors during spring and into summer, we have to be aware of the risk of tick bites. Gardening, camping, hiking, and just playing outdoors are all great spring and summertime activities, but make tick protection part of your outdoor plans as well.Immature ticks (larvae and nymphs) are so small that they can be difficult to see. However, all stages of ticks need to feed on blood to continue on to the next stages—therefore these tiny ticks can be an important threat.
Ticks also feed on mammals and birds, which play a role in maintaining ticks and maintaining the Lyme disease bacteria. Ticks (including species other than the blacklegged ticks) can also transmit diseases other than Lyme disease, including Rocky Mountain spotted fever, erlichiosis, anaplasmosis, Colorado tick fever, and Powassan encephalitis.Visit the the Centers for Disease Control for the full article and how you can reduce your risk of tick borne disease: http://www.cdc.gov/features/lymedisease/?s_cid=tw_cdc522
More cases of Lyme disease are reported than any other vector-borne disease in the United States. There were 29,959 confirmed cases and 8509 probable cases of Lyme disease in the United States in 2009; most of these cases are reported from the Northeast and upper Midwest. See more on Lyme disease statistics.Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi.
People become infected with the Lyme disease bacteria when they are bitten by an infected blacklegged tick.As we start spending more time outdoors during spring and into summer, we have to be aware of the risk of tick bites. Gardening, camping, hiking, and just playing outdoors are all great spring and summertime activities, but make tick protection part of your outdoor plans as well.Immature ticks (larvae and nymphs) are so small that they can be difficult to see. However, all stages of ticks need to feed on blood to continue on to the next stages—therefore these tiny ticks can be an important threat.
Ticks also feed on mammals and birds, which play a role in maintaining ticks and maintaining the Lyme disease bacteria. Ticks (including species other than the blacklegged ticks) can also transmit diseases other than Lyme disease, including Rocky Mountain spotted fever, erlichiosis, anaplasmosis, Colorado tick fever, and Powassan encephalitis.Visit the the Centers for Disease Control for the full article and how you can reduce your risk of tick borne disease: http://www.cdc.gov/features/lymedisease/?s_cid=tw_cdc522
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