What is lyme disease ?
Lyme disease is a vector-borne disease, which means it’s spread by an intermediary. It’s actually the most common of all vector-borne diseases in the northern hemisphere.
In the case of lyme disease, the intermediary is an insect called a tick. While ticks are very small, the consequences of the disease are potentially very serious. The number of infections is on the rise and there’s a lot of debate between scientists and patient associations.
Ticks are the largest members of the acarine sub-class of arachnids. They measure around a ¼ of an inch on average. They can mostly be found either on the ground or attached to the skin of mammals. In America, blacklegged ticks are the most common culprit when it comes to spreading Lyme disease. They can bite human beings of all ages.
The most common areas where this happens is in woods, meadows, parks and gardens. If you’re wondering what time of the year is the most dangerous, it’s generally between the start of spring and the end of autumn.
The problem is that the tick population is increasing due to climate change. And therefore so is Lyme disease. Some say that it’s getting diagnosed more efficiently due to greater awareness among doctors and patients.
Only a minority of ticks carry the disease. And the risk of getting it after being bitten is only 1-5%. But you have to keep an eye on how the bite develops. The most common and quick symptom would be red rings around the bite. These generally remain for a few days.
When the disease is diagnosed and treated quickly, the outlook is good. In around 90% of cases, antibiotics are enough to treat it in 2-4 weeks. But if untreated, it’s a different story.
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