Tick & Lyme Disease Prevention

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection transmitted by the blacklegged ticks, commonly known as "deer ticks." The bacteria is one of 16 tick-borne pathogens the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is tracking in the U.S.; six appear in New York. From 2013 to 2016, one-quarter of Americans infected with Lyme Disease were New Yorkers.

Lyme, like many other tick-borne diseases, can affect the skin, joints, nervous system, and/or heart. It is treatable and curable in most instances. Many tick-borne diseases are regionally isolated, as are the ticks that carry them. However, as the climate changes, the geographic range of ticks, and the reach of the diseases they carry, expands. This has attracted researchers to New York State.

I’ve Been Bitten/I Feel Sick!

If you think you have been bitten by a tick, ask yourself:

Did I visit an area with a high tick population or where Lyme and other contagions are present?

Am I sick with a cold or can it be something else? Do I have a rash?

Continue to monitor your symptoms. It can take up to 30 days for symptoms to appear.

Call your healthcare provider if you have a fever, chills, headache, fatigue, muscle and joint aches, and swollen lymph nodes, which may occur in the absence of a rash.

Be sure tell your provider when and where you believe the tick bite happened. A blood test can confirm exposure to the bacteria. But diagnosis and treatment require complete information.

Lyme disease is difficult to diagnose and can mimic other illnesses. Left untreated, Lyme disease can affect the joints, heart, or nervous system.

Pay special attention to reoccurring symptoms. You can get Lyme disease again if you are bitten by another tick

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