Health Tip: Ticks Carry Lyme Disease

(HealthDay News) -- Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that is passed to people and animals through tick bites.

Symptoms may include a bullseye-shaped rash, fever, headache, joint or muscle pain, and other flu-like symptoms, and typically appear within a week or two. Some people may have all of these symptoms, while others have few or none.

To avoid Lyme-carrying ticks, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends staying away from wooded areas and other places heavily infested with ticks.

If you are in an area where ticks are likely, wear light-colored clothing so that any ticks can be easily noticed and removed. Long-sleeved shirts, long pants and tall boots can reduce the likelihood of tick bites. Insect repellents containing DEET can help deter ticks.

If you do find a tick on your skin, remove it carefully with fine-tipped tweezers and clean the area with an antiseptic wash. Then see your doctor and ask whether you should be tested for Lyme disease.

-- Diana Kohnle

Last Updated: May 17, 2006