Preventing Lyme Disease

Lyme Disease is a nasty disease to have, whether it is caught in the early stages or develops into stage 3. That is why anyone who may come into contact with ticks — that would be most people, but especially those in endemic areas — should take preventative steps. When you venture into any natural area, you can make yourself and your children a less appealing target for ticks by:

• Wearing closed shoes and tucking pants into socks, or wearing tights. Deer ticks do not jump or drop out of trees, contrary to popular belief. They climb up from grass or bushes. This step will make it harder for a tick to find its way onto your skin.

• Wearing light-colored clothing to make it easier to spot ticks as they climb upwards.

• Using an insect repellant that contains diethyl-meta-toluamide, or DEET. You can use this on your skin, or on your clothes.

Frequently scan your clothes for ticks that try to make their way up from your legs in search of skin, and do the same for your children. When you return from your trip, make sure everyone takes a shower. This is the perfect opportunity to wash off any ticks that haven't attached yet, and also to look around for ticks that did manage to attach. Don't forget to look in warm, moist areas like armpits, skin folds and even genitals. Young kids will definitely need your help with spotting ticks.

What do you do if you do find a tick attached to your body, sucking your blood?

Anna, the warden of a nature reserve in Europe, shares her tips: “People used to say that you should grab the tick close to the spot where it bit you, and then twist it. Nowadays, we know that it is best to remove ticks by pulling them upwards while applying a steady, even pressure.

You can do this using your nails, if they are strong and long enough. A pair of fine-tipped tweezers will also do the job."

Being familiar with the symptoms of Lyme Disease, and knowing how to spot ticks, isn't always enough. With her constant exposure to ticks, it was only a matter of time before Anna got infected herself. She says: "I got infected last winter. Increasing fatigue was the first symptom. Suddenly, I noticed a huge bull's eye rash. Recognizing the symptoms, I was able to seek medical attention right away. My doctor did a blood test, which showed up negative. The symptoms persisted and the rash got bigger, so I insisted on getting a course of antibiotics. During that period, I was tested again and the test came back positive.

I made a full recovery relatively quickly, but not everyone is so lucky. My coworker unfortunately also got the disease and developed real joint problems. He was on sick leave for a whole year because of it! He did recover in the end, only to end up with Lyme Disease a second time. Of course, he responded much more quickly then.”