Worried about Lyme disease? Find out if you are at risk

There are two reasons why I do not like camping. First, I do not like to sleep on the floor. Secondly, I'm afraid of ticks.

This phobia is not entirely irrational, as some ticks carry Lyme disease, an infection caused by a bacterium called Borrelia burgdorferi and transmitted to humans by the sting of bugs. an infected tick. Blacklegged ticks, also known as deer ticks, are the main culprits.

The number of people with Lyme disease is difficult to determine. Studies indicate that 30,000 cases are reported each year, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that this number could be closer to 300,000. Determining where Lyme disease strikes the United States is a little easier to pin down , with most cases occurring in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, North-Central and Northwest Pacific regions. time to diagnose correctly. And sometimes, the symptoms are similar to those that one can feel because of other diseases. This is why it is sometimes called the "great imitator". The most common symptoms include fever, chills, headache, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, and swollen lymph nodes. These ailments can occur with many other diseases, but a telltale sign that you may have Lyme disease is the appearance of a rash erythema migrans, or rash. About 70-80 percent of people with Lyme disease will have rash, and the rash itself is usually not itchy or painful.

If the disease is not treated, more serious symptoms may occur: heart palpitations, facial paralysis, arthritis, and inflammation of the brain and spinal cord.

The good news is that there are things you can do to prevent Lyme disease. In most cases, it takes at least 36-48 hours for an attached tick to transmit the virus into the bloodstream, so it is crucial to react quickly.

"Stay away from tall grass and brush where ticks like to hide" Patricia DeLaMora, MD, pediatric infectious disease specialist at Komansky Children's Hospital in New York-Presbyterian. Hikers should walk in the middle of hiking trails and wear shirts and long-sleeved pants to prevent ticks from coming into contact with the skin. DeLaMora also suggests spraying your body with DEET and using a heavy-duty insecticide such as permethrin for tents and other camping gear.

When you enter the interior, it is important to bring your clothes quickly to the dryer. "Ticks can survive a washing machine cycle, but they can not survive for 10 minutes at high temperatures," says DeLaMora.

After treating your clothes, the next step is to enter the shower. Everything attached to you will be washed in the sewers. After drying, be sure to check your body for ticks, especially in places where they like to hide. This includes the scalp, the ears and the groin area. A tick that is not engorged can be as small as a poppy seed, so it is important to carefully examine your skin. If you have a pet, be sure to give it a check check.

If you think you have been bitten by a tick, it is crucial that you consult a professional.

"In the first four to six weeks after exposure to ticks, it's really a clinical diagnosis, which means you're going to your doctor because you're not feeling well," DeLaMora explains: "Early disease is a clinical diagnosis, you are just right on antibiotics. Subsequent stages of the disease that occur several months after a tick bite … can be diagnosed with a blood test. "

Armed with all this information, I feel a little more confident about possible tick encounters, yet I do not see myself camping soon … unless I have an air mattress! [19659002] More from Yahoo Lifestyle:

This article was published on Yahoo Lifestyle.