Originally published by United Way of Connecticut
As the weather starts to warm, an increased awareness of ticks and the symptoms associated with Lyme disease is important.
Tips for preventing Lyme disease:
- Avoid tall grass and over-grown, brushy areas.
- Stay in the middle of trails when hiking in the woods.
- Wear light-colored clothing to allow ticks to be more easily seen.
- Examine yourself, your children, and pets for ticks when returning indoors.
- Remove found ticks as soon as possible.
It takes approximately 24 hours for a tick to infect a person with Lyme disease. The longer an infected tick stays on your skin the greater the chance it will pass the Lyme bacteria on to you. If you find a tick remove it immediately and be on the lookout for Lyme disease symptoms such as rash (sometimes in the shape of a bulls-eye) fever, muscle aches or fatigue.
Contact your doctor if any of these symptoms occurs and visit the Department of Public Health Lyme Disease page or download 2-1-1’s Lyme Disease eLibrary Paper for more information. Tick testing is available at UConn.