Lyme disease, also called borreliosis, is due to three bacteria species that belong to the genus Borrelia. In the United States, the main cause of Lyme disease is the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi and in the European countries is the Borrelia afzelii and Borrelia garinii.
In the Northern Hemisphere, Lyme disease is the most popular form of tick-borne disease. The transmission of Lyme disease happens when an individual is bitten by an infected tick that belongs to Ixodes genus. Early signs of Lyme disease are:
- Fever
- Headache
- Fatigue
- Depression
- Skin rash that is referred as erythema migrans
If it is left untreated it can affect the heart, nervous system and the joints and in worst cases it can paralyze the affected individual.
Transmission
Lyme disease is transmitted to individuals when they are bitten by an infected tick. It will take a tick 24 hours before it will be able to stick to the skin and feed on it. In about 36 hours, the tick will be able to transfer the Lyme disease to the human body.
Ticks found in dogs, cats and horses can infect these animals, though they cannot transfer the Lyme disease to humans. However, ticks can fall from these animals and stick to humans and transfer the disease. When an animal is infected, symptoms are similar to those of humans, like inflamed joints and fever.
Symptoms
At the early stage of Lyme disease people will experience symptoms that are similar to flu such as:
- fever
- chills
- joint pains
- inflamed lymph nodes
- weakness
During the second stage of the disease symptoms worsen:
- more skin rashes appear in different places on the body that spreads as the infection progress
- arms or legs can feel numb
- facial nerves become paralyzed
- headaches keeps occurring
- memory and concentration is poor
- serious heart problems
During the late stage of the disease:
- joints become swollen and pain is felt especially in the knees
- tingling sensation felt in the hands, back or feet
- extreme fatigue
- facial nerves are partially paralyzed
- memory is poor, mood swings, unable to sleep and even problems in speaking
Prevention
Preventing yourself from being infected with Lyme disease is not that difficult, sometimes all we need is common sense.
- When you are out in the woods, it is better to wear clothes with light color so that these ticks can be easily spotted
- Wear clothes that cover your whole body or clothes that do not expose much of the skin when outdoors
- Use tick repellant spray on the skin that is exposed
- If you have pets at home, make sure that you groom them properly or take them to the pet shop regularly for grooming
- Simply clean your surrounding where ticks can breed or where animals frequently stay
- After returning home from the woods or outdoors, take a shower using a wash cloth to clean your body