What you need to know about tick-borne illness

Summer is the ideal time to enjoy outdoor activities, but it is also peak tick season, which can pose a danger to your health. Keystone Infectious Disease’s medical director, Dr. Raghavendra Tirupathi, and medical students studying under him, Rutvi Patel, Namrata Gajjala and Aparajitha Rajkumar, answer common questions about Lyme disease and other disease-borne illnesses. ticks in today’s world. Take care of yourself article.

What is Lyme disease?

Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne illness in the United States and Europe. It is caused by a bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi, which is spread through the bite of infected deer ticks, also known as blacklegged ticks.

What are the high risk areas for Lyme disease in the United States?

Lyme disease can only be contracted by ticks carrying the bacteria. In high-risk areas, approximately 10 to 50% of deer ticks carry the bacteria. These include the Eastern States, Great Lakes Region, Northern Midwest States, and the West Coast.

Each year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) receives about 30,000 reports of Lyme disease from state health departments, but some data suggests that as many as 476,000 people may be affected by the disease each year. year. Pennsylvania leads the United States in Lyme disease cases, with up to 30% of all reported cases occurring in the state.

How is Lyme disease transmitted?

Lyme disease is transmitted by deer tick bites, with the risk depending on geographic location, season, type of tick and duration of attachment. Ticks must remain attached for more than 24 hours and must feed for more than 36 hours to become engorged with blood and be able to transmit disease. Additionally, the risk of transmission is higher after 72 hours.

An unattached tick poses no risk of transmission. Lyme disease is not spread from person to person through touching, kissing, or sexual contact.

The risk of contracting Lyme disease from a tick bite is 1 to 3% in areas of prevalence and is most common in late spring and summer months, peaking in June and July. Prompt removal of ticks reduces this risk.

What should I do if I get bitten by a tick?

If you are bitten by a tick, it is best to remove the tick as soon as possible using a three-step method. First, use curved tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin surface as possible. Avoid using a cigarette, petroleum jelly, or liquid soap to remove the tick, as these substances can irritate the tick and cause it to act like a syringe, injecting its bodily fluids into the wound.

Then pull the tweezers with the tick back, gently and firmly. Do not shake, twist, squeeze, crush, or puncture the tick’s body, as its bodily fluids may contain disease-causing organisms.

If any mouthparts of the tick remain in the skin, leave them alone; they will be expelled naturally. Any attempt to remove these parts may result in significant skin trauma. However, if more than half of the tick remains or you are unable to remove it, consult a doctor to have it removed by an expert.

Finally, after removing the tick, wash your skin and hands thoroughly with soap and water. It is advisable to note the appearance of the tick, because only the deer tick can transmit Lyme disease.

Observe the bite area for up to 30 days after the tick bite. Look for the development of a circular rash called a “target.” If a rash develops, contact your doctor promptly.

What are the symptoms and when should I see a doctor?

If you experience rash or flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache, fatigue, or joint pain, it is best to see a doctor. Although a small bump at the bite site is typical, if the bite site becomes painful, swollen, or oozing, this may indicate an infection and require immediate attention.

A rash that looks like a target, with central paleness and a circle of redness, is highly indicative of Lyme disease. Rarely, weakness and uncoordinated movements may accompany the rash, which is concerning.

How is Lyme disease diagnosed?

Lyme disease is primarily diagnosed clinically. Specific signs, such as a characteristic rash, weakness, or arthritis, as well as a history of exposure to ticks or tick bites (especially the deer tick), can help narrow down the diagnosis of Lyme disease compared to other similar viral diseases.

However, a blood test can be used to check for Lyme disease antibodies, which may only be positive after 6 weeks. An early test will likely be negative.

Should I have the tick tested?

The CDC strongly recommends against using tick test results to make decisions about antibiotics because the results may be unreliable due to variations in quality standards between different laboratories. However, it is advisable to consult your healthcare professional or a local laboratory for tick testing.

The presence of germs in a tick does not necessarily indicate that the person is infected. Negative results can also be misleading, because another infected tick may have bitten the person without knowing it. Visit the Pennsylvania Department of Health website for details on tick testing laboratories.

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Can Lyme disease be treated?

Yes, Lyme disease is treated if symptoms appear and/or tests come back positive. Early diagnosis and treatment helps prevent complications such as facial nerve palsy, meningitis, heart problems, chronic arthritis, and progressive encephalomyelitis (inflammation of the brain and spinal cord). Oral antibiotics such as doxycycline, amoxicillin, or cefuroxime axetil are effective, while intravenous antibiotics are necessary for severe symptoms.

Can Lyme disease be prevented?

To prevent Lyme disease, it is essential to avoid tick bites. Ticks are usually found in grassy, brushy, or wooded areas, so it is best to avoid such environments.

When spending time outdoors, staying in the center of trails helps minimize contact with ticks. One should be careful around pets and outdoor activities, as ticks can also be found on animals. Even in your own yard, steps should be taken to maintain a clean environment and reduce exposure to ticks.

After outdoor activities, check your clothing for ticks before entering the house. Drying clothes on high heat for 10 minutes kills ticks on dry clothing. Showering with hot water within two hours of coming indoors reduces the risk of tick-borne illnesses and helps remove unattached ticks.

Perform a full body exam, including hard-to-reach areas, after returning from tick-infested areas. Also check your pets for ticks; finding one tick crawling suggests that others may be present.

Can I use tick repellent?

For an effective tick repellent, consider using products containing active ingredients like DEET, picaridin or IR3535 (at a concentration of 20%). However, products containing more than 50% DEET do not necessarily provide additional protection against tick bites. These repellents can be applied directly to the skin using creams, sprays or wipes.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency website offers a helpful search tool to help you find the right product for your needs. Additionally, clothing, boots, and camping gear can be treated with products containing 0.5% permethrin.

Permethrin-treated items remain protective even after multiple washes. Alternatively, pre-made clothing and equipment treated with Permethrin are available.

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Do I need antibiotics after a tick bite?

The CDC generally does not recommend antibiotics to prevent illness after a tick bite. However, preventive treatment with a single dose of doxycycline within 72 hours is recommended if the attached tick is identified as a deer tick, has been attached for 36 hours or more, and the bite occurs in an area where deer ticks are present. are common. Pregnant women or women younger than 4 years should not be treated with doxycycline.

Do ticks transmit other diseases?

Deer ticks can transmit several diseases alongside Lyme disease, leading to co-infections. Anaplasmosis, caused by the bacteria A. phagocytophilum, is spread by deer ticks and is the most common co-infection with Lyme disease. Symptoms include fever, headache, chills and muscle pain.

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