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Experts warn of dangers of Lyme disease

Category: Lyme Disease

As the temperatures warm and people start spending more time outside, the need for Lyme disease testing increases, experts say. Getting out of the house puts individuals in close proximity to many animals that transmit the disease, most notably ticks.

Ticks start coming out during the spring and summer months. It is very easy for them to pass the bacterial infection to humans. Ticks spread Lyme disease from infected deer to family pets like cats and dogs and finally to humans. Sometimes, people pick up an infected tick simply by walking around outside.

Because the ticks are so small and difficult to spot, prevention is the best medicine, Indiana physician George Knowles told the South Bend Tribune.

"The first line of defense is realization of the risk and daily inspection of your kids," he told the news source. "They're the size of the head of a pin when they're not blood-engorged. When they're blood-engorged, they're half the size of a pencil eraser."

Lyme disease can cause flu-like symptoms and fatigue when it is in its early stages, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It can eventually lead to potentially serious neurological problems, such as Bell's palsy, if left untreated.