May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month, which means the increase risk of Lyme exists, which affects more people in the northeast than anywhere else in the country according to News 10.

Many think Lyme disease has a simple cure, but NEWS10 ABC’s Stephanie Grady found that it isn't so cut and dry, and there seems to be a kind of silent epidemic.

NEWS10 ABC: Albany, New York News, Weather, Sports

Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected blacklegged ticks according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

What are symptoms of Lyme Disease?

Symptoms of Lyme Disease include fever, headache, fatigue, and a characteristic skin rash called erythema migrans. If left untreated, infection can spread to joints, the heart, and the nervous system. Lyme disease is diagnosed based on symptoms, physical findings (e.g., rash), and the possibility of exposure to infected tick.

How is Lyme Disease treated?

Patients treated with appropriate antibiotics in the early stages of Lyme disease usually recover rapidly and completely. Patients with certain neurological or cardiac forms of illness may require intravenous treatment with drugs such as ceftriaxone or penicillin.

It is important to take steps to prevent ticks and Lyme disease include using insect repellent, removing ticks promptly and correctly, contacting your local pest management company and reducing tick habitats. The ticks that transmit Lyme disease can occasionally transmit other tickborne diseases as well.

For those in Albany, Schenectady, Clifton Park, Saratoga, Queensbury and else where in the Captial Region who would like to learn more about ticks and how they can avoid tick problems on their property this year, contact Thomas Pest Services. With regular tick services you will worry less about the threat of ticks that may invade your home or property and the risks associated with them. 

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