Lyme Disease

Lyme disease, also known as Lyme borreliosis, is a contagious disease caused by Borrelia bacterium, spread by Ixodes ticks. The disease is common in US, Europe and Asia. Every year around 300.000 people are infected in US. Mostly it appears in spring and summer. It is characterized by the appearance of unpainful, not itchy red rash (erythema migrans), usually one or two weeks after the bite. Around 70-80% of people develop the rash. Other symptoms include tiredness, fever, headache. The rash expands in diameter and may become large (5-70cm). If untreated, Lyme disease may affect many organs, resulting in severe complications, such as chronic joint inflammation, neurological disorders, facial palsy, heart rhythm issues and etc. Diagnosis is based on clinical signs, possible exposure to infected ticks, sometimes blood antibody test is performed to examine the disease. How to prevent the disease ?Be careful, when you are in the woods, cover open parts of the skin. It is also possible to reduce transmission by applying 0,5% permethrin solution to the clothes. Do not try to remove the tick by yourself. If you notice one of these symptoms, see a dermatologist as soon as possible.