What Are The Chances of Lyme Disease

If you don’t already know by now, then we will say it again. Ticks are the carriers of the bacteria which causes Lyme disease. Therefore, if you have been bitten by a tick, the risk of becoming infected with Lyme disease is something to be mindful of, if you don’t take action as soon as possible. But what exactly are the chances that you will develop this debilitating disease if you’ve been bitten? Of course, we don’t want to scare anyone, but it’s important that you know just how serious the risk is.

Ticks And Lyme Disease: 3 Factors Determine Risk Of Infection

So you’ve found a tick, and it’s sucking your blood. After an initial wave of revulsion, you carefully remove it with a pair of tweezers. Now you’re probably wondering: What’s the chance I have Lyme disease? Nick Berndt found himself in that exact situation earlier this summer. Berndt, 26, of Lancaster, Pa., felt a tick attached to his scalp three days after disc golfing in a forest near his home.

The risk alone should wave some red flags at all of us! Are you protecting yourself properly from ticks?

The deer tick is responsible for the transmission of Lyme, and therefore, it is worth identifying the population of that particular tick in your location. Some areas may be subject to more of this species of tick than others.

Lyme disease–carrying ticks are now in half of all U.S. counties

The ticks that transmit Lyme disease, a debilitating flulike illness caused by Borrelia bacteria, are spreading rapidly across the United States. A new study shows just how rapidly. Over the past 20 years, the two species known to spread the disease to humans have together advanced into half of all the counties in the United States. Lyme disease cases have tripled in the United States over the last 2 decades, making it the most commonly reported vector-borne disease in the Northern Hemisphere. The disease now affects around 300,000 Americans each year.

You may have noticed that the article dates back to two years ago, therefore it is expected that there are many other parts of the United States that have seen a rise in deer tick population.

Lyme-bearing ticks more widespread in U.S. than thought, study says

“People should be aware of ticks and tick-borne disease, even when they may think there’s not a recorded incidence of a tick in a county,” said Northern Arizona University researcher Nate Nieto.  Think you live in a place that’s free from disease-carrying ticks? Don’t be so sure. Citizen scientists found ticks capable of transmitting Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses in dozens of places across the United States where the pests had never previously been recorded.

Wherever you are, then please protect yourself and your family from ticks. These critters are making their way across the U.S and where you once thought you were safe from these species of tick, they may be slowly creeping into your local area.