Warm weather has finally arrived, with the April showers behind us and May flowers beginning to bloom. With warmer temperatures come more outside activities and the potential for tick bites. National Lyme Disease Awareness Month is in May, and 24/7 Local Pest Control is supporting the effort to shield people and their four-legged friends from this sickness that is spread by ticks.

What is Lyme Disease?

Lyme disease was first detected in 1976 in Lyme, Connecticut and most commonly occurs in the Northeast, upper Midwest and mid-Atlantic regions. It is estimated that about  300,000 people are diagnosed each year.  Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted through the bite of infected black-legged ticks. In most cases, the tick must be attached for 36 to 48 hours or more before the Lyme disease bacterium can be transmitted.

Signs and Symptoms

Early symptoms of Lyme disease usually begin from 3 to 30 days after being bitten by an infected tick. The most common early stage symptom is a rash where the tick was attached. This rash starts as a small red area that spreads outward to look like a bullseye. One may also experience flu-like symptoms, such as headache, fever, sore and aching muscles and joints, stiff neck, fatigue and swollen glands.

If you experience any of the following symptoms and have had a tick bite, it is important to seek medical attention. Untreated Lyme disease can produce a wide range of symptoms, depending on the stage of infection. Some of these symptoms may include fever, facial paralysis and arthritis.

Treatment

If you develop any of the above symptoms within several weeks of removing a tick, it’s important that you see your healthcare provider. When Lyme disease is diagnosed in the early stages, people usually recover rapidly and completely. In order to be treated, you will be given antibiotics by your healthcare provider, which most commonly are doxycycline, amoxicillin or cefuroxime axetil.

However, you can get Lyme disease again if you are bitten by another infected tick, so it is important to protect yourself from tick bites.

Preventing Tick Bites

Although it’s not possible to completely protect yourself from getting a tick bite, there are steps you can take to reduce your chances. Tick activity is higher during the warmer months, but ticks can be out anytime the temperature is about 45 degrees Fahrenheit. With the help of 24/7 Local Pest Control, you can get ahead of any tick problems you might have this season, while also implementing the following habits:

When you come in from the outdoors, always do a thorough check on yourself, your family and your pets. When doing a tick check, remember that ticks liked places that are warm, so make sure you check the back of your armpits, scalp, back of the neck and behind the ears.

Don’t be ticked off this summer

Let 24/7 Local Pest Control be another line of defence against tick-borne illnesses by applying a  barrier treatment to your property. A trained and certified technician will treat your yard with an effective solution that eliminates mosquitoes, ticks and fleas for 21 days. As an alternative to our longer-lasting synthetic treatment, our all-natural solution repels mosquitoes immediately. This less-adhesive yet effective option requires treatment on a 14-day cycle.

If you’re still not sure if 24/7 Local Pest Control is right for you, give your local MoJo a call or request a free quote online. We are dedicated to making outside fun again for you and your family and our job is not done until you are happy!