Is Lyme Disease Treatable? Lyme Disease is a bacterial infection caused by tick bites. There is a spiral shaped bacteria called Borrelia Burgdorferi that is passed on from the tick bite to a person. There are two types of ticks that can pass this infection on to a human: ● ●
Western black-legged tick (found around the Pacific Coast) Black-legged deer tick (Northeastern, Mid-Atlantic, and North-Central U.S.)
When the tick bites you it will stay attached to you for 36 to 48 hrs. If the tick is not in a visible place on your body you may not know you have been bitten. Most of the time people do not realize they have a tick buried into their skin. If you don’t remove the tick within 48 hours you will most likely become infected.
Are All Ticks A Threat To Humans? Most tick bites are actually harmless. They do not all carry Lyme disease. Actually less than 1% of ticks are infected in most places like yards and low-growing grasslands. However, in wooded areas you will find that 50% of ticks are infected. Several species of ticks are very dangerous and cause life-threatening diseases. Some Tickborne diseases other than Lyme disease are babesiosis, anaplasmosis, relapsing fever, powassan encephalitis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and tularemia.
Is Lyme Disease Actually Treatable ? Yes, Lyme disease can be treated. You may feel body stiffness, fever, rash, headaches, fatigue, muscle, and joint aches during the first 36-48 hours of being bitten by a tick. If left untreated, the infection will spread throughout the body and cause arthritis, short-term memory loss, irregular heartbeat, numbness in limbs. Antibiotics are what doctors will give to treat Lyme disease. However symptoms can still last for weeks, months, and years. Depending on the severity of your case, you will be given either Oral antibiotics or Intravenous antibiotics. A 14 to 21 day course for Oral and 14-28 for Intravenous antibiotics.