Lyme
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection with symptoms that vary depending on the length of infection. Early stage Lyme (<30days) is characterized by fever, headache, fatigue, and "bulls-eye" skin rashes called erythema migrans. In later stages (>30 days), infection can spread to joints (pain and selling), the heart (irregular heartbeat or palpitations), and the nervous system (pain and palsy). Lyme transmission is the most prevalent in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Midwest with 96% of reported cases in 2015 coming from 14 states in these regions, and occurs primarily in the Spring and Summer months (April – September) when the ticks carrying the disease are most active. The ticks that transmit Lyme disease can occasionally transmit other tickborne disease as well.
