Many tick-borne diseases turn out to be harmless if diagnosed early and treated with antibiotics. Still, an infection from a tick can turn out to be serious, even fatal. With a vaccine for Lyme disease no longer available and few replacements on the horizon, it's up to you to protect yourself from tick bites.
The Enemy
Ticks are pin-point-sized parasites that resemble a cross between a spider and a very small turtle. There are some 80 different species of ticks in the United States, but only 12 or so that are able to spread disease to humans. They are mainly found in grassy and wooded areas, where they cling to brush, high grass or whatever they can find before making their way to a host. The manicured suburbs, while safer, are not immune. "The worst golfers are more likely to get a tick bite as they are in the rough more often," says Dr. Gary Wormser, director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at New York Medical College, only half jokingly.
What Ticks Spread
Ticks pick up infections by feeding on the blood of deer, dogs and other animals. Because they penetrate the skin when they bite into humans, ticks make for potent disease spreaders. The most common infections include:
