Prevention

No vaccine is available for preventing Lyme disease, but there are ways to protect yourself:

• Avoid wooded, bushy and grassy areas, especially in May, June and July.
• Cut and clear brush and tall grass around houses and gardens.
• Wear light-colored clothing to easily spot ticks.
• When camping, hiking or working outdoors, wear long-sleeved shirts and closed-toe shoes. Tuck pants into socks or boots, and tuck shirts into trousers.
• Apply insect repellent containing DEET and/or use Permethrin, another type of repellent. It can be purchased at outdoor equipment stores that carry camping or hunting gear. Permethrin kills ticks on contact! One application to pants, socks, and shoes typically stays effective through several washings. Permethrin should not be applied directly to skin.
• Walk in the center of hiking trails to avoid overgrown grass and trees.
• Inspect yourself, children and pets daily.
• Remove clothing, and shower as soon as possible after coming indoors. Ticks take several hours to attach themselves.
• Ticks may be as small as a pinhead. When inspecting, pay attention to the groin, armpits, neck and scalp.
• Check pets before they enter the house.
• The CDC advises that you check in with your doctor after a tick bite where the tick may have been attached for a day or longer. Although antibiotic prophylaxis is not universally recommended, your doctor may advise it if you live in certain areas or have other risk factors.

More on Lyme

In the Encyclopedia:

This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.