Lyme disease is a vector-borne disease-causing red rash known as erythema migrans caused by the bacteria borrelia. Doctor Jake Schmutz NMD is an expert at treating Lyme disease and tick-borne infections.
Approximately 70-80% of people who have Lyme disease develop a rash. People suffering from the condition often observe symptoms such as fever, tiredness. If the infection remains untreated, it further causes joint pains, heart palpitations, and inability to move one side of the face.
Lyme disease is transmitted by the bites of infected ticks among humans. To learn more about the prevention and treatment of Lyme disease, keep reading.
Prevention
- Preventive Antibiotics: The risk of spreading of disease increases with the duration of tick attachment. The incubation period of Lyme disease in a person is between 36 to 48 hours. If the tick is attached for 36 hours, the person is administered doxycycline within 72 hours to decrease the risk of spread.
- Garden Landscaping: Keeping the lawn free from leaf litter(a component of healthy soil) or weeds can reduce the risk of ticks in residential yards. The barrier needs to be made at least 9 feet away from human activities in a sun-exposed environment. It will also help make the zone free from ticks, which will help reduce the risk of Lyme disease.
- Occupational exposure: People who work outdoors where the spread of ticks infection is a high need to wear protective gear to protect themselves from the risk of coming in contact with tick diseases (Lyme disease).
- Host animals: Deer is the host on which the adult ticks feed and reproduce. Decreasing the deer population to 8 to 10 per square mile helps reduce the tick number and the risk of spreading Lyme disease.
- Vaccine: Vaccines such as LYMErix were found to be protective for many humans with minimal adverse effects.
Treatment
- Antibiotics: Lyme disease is effectively treated in the early stages. Treatment includes intake of oral medication for 1 to 2 weeks to eliminate the risk of infection. 70-80% of patients showing the symptom of erythema migrans are treated with this method. Prescribing amoxicillin is the first-line defense against Lyme disease.
- Intravenous medication: If the infection spreads to the central nervous system, the doctor prescribed IV medication for two weeks to decrease the risk of infection. If the condition becomes mild, the doctor will change the administration of drugs from IV to oral route.
If you observe the risk of having an infection, you must consult a doctor to get adequate medication administration and get knowledge to prevent the spread of the disease.
