Lyme Disease Can Tick You Off When On Vacations And Holidays

Print View | Html View Written by: Dorothy Yamich
Total views: 34 | Word Count: 643 | Date: Tue, 29 Dec 2009 | 0 comments

When people travel on camping vacations and holidays to wooded areas, it should be an enjoyable experience. Most of the time it is. However, Lyme disease which is caused by infected ticks can ruin a fun vacation or holiday.

Travelers, campers, and vacationers can be at risk for contracting Lyme disease, a serious, debilitating condition caused by being bitten by an infected tick.

What are the common symptoms of Lyme disease?

Some of the symptoms of Lyme disease are the classic bull's-eye red rash, fatigue or loss of energy, feeling sleepy, tingling and numbness, swollen and painful joints, memory loss, and feeling like you are getting the flu. Paralysis of the face is a less common symptom.

Lyme disease can make your life miserable and cause you a lot of pain and suffering if it's not diagnosed and treated right away. The longer you wait before seeing a health professional allows this disease to progress quickly and it may not be possible to lessen it's effects.

How is Lyme disease spread?

Ticks bite and feed on animals such as mice, other small rodents, and deer. If any of these animals are carrying the Lyme disease bacteria, they can pass the bacteria on to the ticks. When people are bitten by an infected tick they may contract Lyme disease.

What steps can you take to reduce the chance of getting Lyme disease?

Since some people do not notice any symptoms for a period of time, prevention is always the best policy. When you are traveling through the spring and summer months to, or through areas where deer, mice, other rodents and animals reside, the following are some things that you can do.

When you are camping on holidays or vacation, you can lessen the number of ticks around your campsite by cleaning up any brush and leaves debris. Wearing light colored clothing helps you to easily see these very tiny black insects and remove them before they get attached to your skin. Make sure you wear long-sleeved shirts and tuck them inside your pants. Always tuck your pant cuffs inside of your socks. It is also a good idea to wear rubber boots as ticks are commonly found close to the ground. However, you may also get them in your hair if you happen to brush against any leaves on a low tree branch. Wearing a light-colored, wide-brimmed hat will help. Be sure to check your skin and scalp carefully as ticks can easily be overlooked, especially in your hair. Applying a DEET insect repellent to your clothes and exposed skin, as well as applying permethrin, an insecticide, to your clothes will also help.

How can you safely remove ticks?

Ticks that have burrowed and embedded themselves under your skin can be removed with small-tipped tweezers. Make sure that you do not leave any part of the tick under your skin. Once the tick has been completely removed, disinfect the wound thoroughly with alcohol or hydrogen peroxide. Keep in mind that you are not totally out of the woods yet, so to speak, as the symptoms can take several days, even weeks before they show. Using tweezers is the best and safest method for removing ticks. Do not try to remove any ticks using burnt matches, petroleum jelly, or alcohol as this will cause the ticks to release more of the bacteria into your blood stream.

Please note that there is no vaccine available for Lyme disease.

The Center For Disease Control And Prevention (CDC) states that this bacterial disease is vastly under reported, perhaps by well over 100,000 cases per year in the U.S. alone. Visit their website at cdc.gov for more information on Lyme disease.