It’s (Ugh) Tick Season

Photo by Erik Karits on Unsplash

It’s tick season. Ticks are active year round in the South, but this is prime time for the little bugs.

Ticks are not insects, by the way. They are mites, which are related to spiders. Count the legs. And they are parasitic blood-suckers.

Here’s the real problem with ticks: They carry disease.

In the south and east of the U.S., the primary issue is Lyme disease.

What is Lyme Disease?

Lyme disease is an infection caused by a bacterium called Borella burgdorferi. More rarely it can be caused by Borella mayonii.

It is transmitted specifically by the blacklegged ticks.

Symptoms of Lyme disease include:

• Fever
• Headache
• Fatigue
• Erythema migrans, a skin rash

Lyme disease, if not treated, can also cause:

• Severe headaches
• Stiffness of the neck
• Facial palsy
• Severe joint pain and swelling
• Intermittent pain in tendons, muscles, joints and bones
• Heart palpitations or irregularity
• Episodes of shortness of breath or dizziness