TREATING LYME DISEASE

Lyme disease is easily treated with antibiotics.  The sooner the disease is detected and treated, the easier it is to remove from your system.  A person who catches the disease early (within the first few weeks of infection) and is treated with the proper antibiotics will almost always make a full recovery.  If the disease goes untreated for a long period of time, however, it is more difficult to cure.  A person who has entered the third stage of Lyme disease is often given antibiotics intravenously (a drug is pumped directly into the veins), but sometimes the bacteria may develop an immunity to the antibiotic (meaning that the medicine no longer kills the bacteria).  Additionally, long-term treatment (4-6 weeks, which is often needed to cure the disease in the later stages) may damage the immune system (your body’s “built-in” defense against sickness). 

Removing Ticks From the Body
If you are bitten by a deer tick, remove the bug (or have a parent do it) quickly by following these steps:

1. Using a pair of tweezers, grab the tick by the head (not the body, as this may not remove the entire bug from your skin).
2. Pull the tick firmly until it comes off of your body. DO NOT use petroleum jelly, alcohol, or a match to remove the tick; this may actually get it to burrow deeper into your skin.  Yuck!
3. Place the tick in a bottle of alcohol to kill it.
4. Swab the bite with disinfectant. 

Preventing Lyme Disease
Remember, the best way to fight Lyme disease is to stay safe from it!  Here are some tips for keeping your body Lyme disease-free:

• Stay away from long grass, damp wood piles, and stone walls.  These places can be breeding grounds for deer ticks
• After spending time outside, make sure you do a tick check.  Check your body as best you can for ticks, and ask a friend or parent to check the places you can’t see.  Remember, it usually takes about 48 hours for Lyme disease to enter your system once you have been bitten by a carrier tick. The sooner you remove it, the less chance you have of developing symptoms.
• Wear closed-toed shoes, long sleeves, and long pants if you are going to be in tick-friendly areas (see above).
• Wear light colored clothing.  Ticks are dark brown or black, so they will show up better on light-colored pants or shirts.
• Make sure to check your pets for ticks before they come back into the house.  Deer ticks can fall of dogs or cats and end up biting you.
• Wear insect repellent containing no more than 30% DEET.  This will definitely keep the bugs away, but too much of it can be bad for you.
• Keep your clothes clean!  After playing outside, especially in woody areas, wash and dry your things to kill the ticks that could be hidden in your clothes.