It’s that time of year again, when kids are (hopefully) outside more than inside. With the warmer weather comes concerns about ticks and Lyme disease. Here’s some information to help you decipher what’s true and false as your family enjoys the great outdoors. Fiction: Lyme disease comes from ticks, so it’s a problem all over the country. Fact: Lyme disease is caused by bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi, which live in certain mammals such as mice, chipmunks and deer. Ticks bite these animals, and then carry the bacteria to humans. Most of the disease is seen in these 13 states: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia and Wisconsin. Your chance of getting Lyme disease in a state other than these is low. Fiction: If I notice a tick on my child, it has probably already transferred Lyme disease to my child. Fact: Actually, ticks […]
