A common condition with more than 200,000 cases diagnosed annually in the United States, Lyme disease is an illness with the majority of these cases occurring in the late spring and summer.
And one of the most common ways of contracting Lyme disease is through tick bites.
Ticks are generally located in high grass areas along shorelines, wooded areas and open fields near wooded areas. The bug’s bite contains bacteria that carry a number of diseases – some of them potentially fatal.
Walking in or around these potentially tick-infested areas, everyone should take extra caution in being on the lookout for ticks, which can stay attached for several days.
Check clothes and pets, and should you feel ill after being in a “tick zone,” be sure to mention it to your physician.
Lyme disease presents with a distinctive, “bull’s eye” shaped pattern associated with the following symptoms:
• Joint and muscle pain
• Fever
• Fatigue
• Headache
• General malaise
Lyme disease can be treated by a physician, so be sure to seek treatment should you begin to exhibit some of these symptoms.
Online resources are available to check your area’s risk for Lyme disease.
Should you begin to experience symptoms, seek treatment at your nearest emergency department. Check-in online to the McLaren Macomb emergency department at mclaren.org/macombER.