Lyme Disease : Prevention

When walking or hiking in wooded or grassy areas: Spray all exposed skin and your clothing with insect repellant (spray outdoors only, do not use on face, use just enough to cover all other exposed skin, don't spray under clothing, don't apply ove...

Lyme disease is a vector-borne disease, meaning that it is transmitted from one host to another by a carrier-called a vector-that transmits but does not become infected with the disease. In the United States, the deer tick in the genus Ixodes is t...

A vaccine for Lyme disease known as LYMErix was available from 1998 to 2002, when it was removed from the United States market. The decision was influenced by reports that LYMErix may be responsible for neurologic complications in vaccinated patie...

The safest bug repellent is proper clothing. Wear a full-brimmed hat to protect your head and the back of your neck. Make sure your ankles and wrists are covered. Tuck pant cuffs into socks, and wear light-colored clothing. This clothing is less attractive than dark clothing to biting insects and makes it easier to spot any ticks or insects that have landed. Wear lightweight gloves, particularly in the garden. Check clothes regularly for bugs. Use protective netting around sleeping and eating areas to keep the bugs at bay. Even with proper clothing, when visiting an area with many insects, bug repellent should be used. To avoid skin irritation, apply insect repellent to clothing. Test the repellent on a small area of clothing first to determine if it will bleach or otherwise discolor the fabric. If areas of your skin are exposed, you will need to apply the repellant there as well. Whenever you are in mosquito, sand fly, or tick territory, chemical insect repellents are necessary. The best repellents contain the chemicals DEET, indalone, Rutgers 612 (2-ethyl-1,3-hexanediol), or dimethyl phthalate (DMP. DEET has become the most common and most popular. R-326 (di-N-propyl isocinchomeronate) is useful against biting flies. Use chemical repellents sparingly. Avoid using directly on sunburned skin. Despite their popularity, bath oils or skin sticks provide only one hour of protection against bugs compared with products containing 25% DEET, which last up to 7 hours. Another type of repellent called Picaridin has been available in the United States since 2005. Picaridin has less odor than DEET and doesn't damage plastics like DEET. It lasts about 4 hours and works as well as DEET if it is reapplied. If using both sunscreen and bug repellent, apply the sunscreen first and wait 30 minutes before applying the bug repellent. To avoid toxicity from insect repellents: Apply repellent sparingly and only to exposed skin or clothing. Keep out of eyes; Avoid using high-concentration products on the skin, particularly on children; Use a lower concentration of DEET on pregnant women and small children; Never inhale or ingest repellents; Wear long-sleeved clothing and apply repellent to fabric rather than to skin; Repellent should NOT be used on children's hands because they are likely to rub their eyes with them or put them in their mouth; Children 2 and younger should not have insect repellent applied to their skin more than once in a 24-hour period; Wash repellent off your skin after the risk of being bitten by an insect is gone.

Lyme disease is an inflammatory disease spread through a tick bite. This article offers a general overview on Lyme disease. For specific information see: Stage 1 Lyme disease; Stage 2 Lyme disease; Stage 3 Lyme disease.

Detailed information on Lyme disease, including ticks that transmit Lyme disease, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention

Detailed information on Lyme disease, including symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention

Detailed information on Lyme disease, including symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention

Detailed information on Lyme disease, including symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention

Detailed information on Lyme disease, including symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention