The birds are chirping again and it’s no longer pitch-dark at 4 p.m. At long last, summer is approaching (albeit slowly). And while summer is arguably the best time of the year, it’s certainly not without its drawbacks. You already know that warmer weather makes you a little more conscious of the amount of deodorant and sunscreen you need every morning, but what you might not know is that it’s also the season in which Lyme disease becomes more of a threat. Lyme, an infectious disease spread by ticks, affects at least 30,000 people per year in the U.S., though some studiessuggest that number may be as high as 300,000, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Cases peak during the spring and summer months, with a majority of cases occurring during June and July.
While Lyme disease is treatable, it can be serious if you don’t know the warning signs and seek prompt medical attention. It can lead to flu-like symptoms that escalate to much more serious things, like joint pain and severe headaches in some cases. The good news: It’s also preventable.
Ahead, we answer the need-to-know questions about staying safe from this warm-weather threat.
What Is Lyme Disease?
Lyme disease is a tick-borne illness, which means it spreads to humans via a bite from a tick infected with the Borrelia burgdorferibacteria. The species of tick that can spread Lyme — known as the blacklegged or deer tick — is found in many parts of the country: the Northeast, mid-Atlantic, and north-central states (like Wisconsin and Minnesota). Meanwhile, on the Pacific Coast, the aptly named western blacklegged tick can also spread the disease. This happens predominantly in Northern California, though cases have also been reported in Arizona and Nevada.
However, most of the CDC’s reported cases occur in the Northeast and north-central states. In fact, 96% of cases in 2014 were reported from Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, New York, Maine, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, Minnesota, Virginia, New Hampshire, and Wisconsin.
How Do You Get It?
Lyme disease is transmitted when a tick attaches itself to your body to feed. This often happens in heavily wooded areas, where ticks are more likely to run rampant (so, be extra wary if you’re taking a hike in the woods), but it can also happen just hanging out in your very own backyard if you live happen to live in an an area where there are ticks.
The good news is that in most cases, the tick has to be attached to you for at least 36 hours to transmit the bacteria.
How To Check Your Body For Ticks
“Tick checks are very important in terms of first-line prevention against Lyme disease,” says Lenore Brancato, MD, a clinical assistant professor at New York University Langone Medical Center. A tick check should be done immediately after being outdoors in tick-infested areas like the woods.
In addition to giving the obvious parts of your body (such as your ankles and legs) a once-over, Dr. Brancato recommends closely looking over the areas of your body where the skin folds (the armpits, groin) as well as the scalp.
If you find a tick, follow the CDC’s advice for getting it out fast:
Use tweezers to grasp the tick’s body as close to your skin as possible, and pull upward. Important: Don’t twist or jerk the tick, or you’ll risk causing its mouth to break off (insert scream-face emoji here), making it harder to get out.
Once you remove it, clean the area with rubbing alcohol and wash your hands with soap and water.
Make sure to get rid of the tick by submerging it in alcohol, before putting it into a sealed container (so you can bring it with you to the doctor, should you develop symptoms).
How To Prevent Tick Bites
In addition to finding and removing any ticks, you can also take steps to prevent the bites in the first place.
For example, going camping this summer? Be sure to pack plenty of insect repellant, especially bug spray that contains DEET, which works to ward off mosquitoes as well as ticks, Dr. Brancato says. Another good thing is permethrin, which you can spray onto your clothes for extra protection before heading out for a hike.
Dr. Brancato also advises wearing light-colored clothing when venturing out into wooded areas; it’ll give you a better chance of spotting ticks that try to attach to you.
How Do You Know If You Have It?
First things first: If you find a tick on your body, don’t freak out — again, if you quickly remove it, your risk of actually contracting Lyme disease is much lower. Plus, not every tick carries the bacteria that can make you sick.
According to the TickEncounter Resource Center at the University of Rhode Island, only 20% of blacklegged tick nymphs (young ticks) and roughly half of adult females are infected with the bacteria (adult male blacklegged ticks don't bite, so they don't spread Lyme). This means that as scary as it is, a tick bite doesn't necessarilymean you'll get sick.
Instead, you’ve got to look out for symptoms.
The telltale sign of Lyme is a red rash that develops at the site of infection and forms a bullseye shape. It might feel warm to the touch, but these kinds of rashes are rarely itchy or painful. However, the rash occurs in about 70 to 80% of Lyme cases, so be on the lookout for other signs. Other early symptoms include: fever, chills, headache, fatigue, muscle and joint aches, and swollen lymph nodes.
What Should You Do If You Think You Have Lyme Disease?
Get to the doctor, ASAP. If caught early, Lyme disease can be nipped in the bud with a two to three week course of antibiotics. When it’s diagnosed and treated in its early stages, most people recover “rapidly and completely,” per the CDC.
What Will Getting Tested For Lyme Be Like?
If you have symptoms of Lyme, your doctor will want to confirm the diagnosis with a two-step blood test.
The first step is a screening test called an “EIA” (enzyme immunoassay) test. During this process, technicians test your blood sample for an immune response to the bacteria that causes Lyme.
If that blood test comes back positive, the lab will then use the same blood sample for the second step of the process, called the Western blot test. Because the EIA test is sensitive and could pick up a positive result for other diseases, the Western blot is meant to confirm a Lyme diagnosis. It’s good to know that you need both of these tests (having one without the other increases the risk for false positive results, the CDC says), but the second one will mostly be handled by your doctor and your local lab.
What you need to keep in mind: “If you see a rash, take a photo [and] try and get to your doctor straightaway,” Dr. Brancato says. The sooner you know whether it’s Lyme, the sooner you can start treatment.
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
Why I Violate The Rule Of Not Saying I'm Attractive
Why I Hate Having My Picture Taken
The Best Way To Wash Your Hands, According To Science