Wordful Wednesday//Lyme Disease Awareness Month

For the past few years, the month of May has meant a lot to me. Not only is it a time to celebrate my mother for Mother's Day, or my brother as I wish him a happy birthday, but it is also a time to spread the word about ticks. You see, May is Lyme disease awareness month.

Blacklegged ticks, or deer ticks, are the common vectors when it comes to spreading Lyme disease. They can also infect their host with co-infections such as babesiosis and anaplasmosis.

It is typically the tick in its nymph life stage which transmits Lyme disease to human beings, and the size of one is about that of a poppy seed, or, as many Lyme sufferers like to say, a period at the end of a sentence. (Deer tick life cycle.)

If you are outdoors a lot--especially around May through August--please actively search yourself for ticks to help prevent the disease.

If you would click here, you will find a quick list of early symptoms to be extremely aware of such as a flu-like illness and sometimes a bulls-eye rash, as well as later symptoms of the disease.

Also, if you go to the ILADS (The International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society) website, you will find many facts about Lyme--especially ones that quell popular myths. It's on this website you can discover more information on how to prevent tick bites, and you can even sit down for some informative videos if you'd like.

The most powerful fact for me about Lyme disease, and the one I will leave you with today to mull over, is that according to the CDC, Lyme disease is the fastest growing vector-borne, infectious disease in the United States.