" Lyme Disease is an infection resulting from the bite of the deer tick. The disease is actually caused by a bacterium. It may start out as a skin rash and progress to severe arthritis. If detected early, the disease can be treated with antibiotics. The deer tick is about the size of the period at the end of this sentence. Their preferred habitats are wooded areas and adjacent grasslands. It is spread in the wild by animals- deer, racoons, mice, and birds. Domestic animals such as cats, dogs and horses, can also carry the ticks. The range of the tick in lyme disease appear to be growing as more houses are built in woodlands and as ticks are distributed by birds and other animals.

Take Precautions!

• Wear socks pulled over long pants.
• Wear closed shoes, not sandals.
• Wear long sleeves and a hat.
• Use a commercial tick repellent on clothing.

On Returning Home:

• Inspect your body and your children.
• Search through hair and around hairlines.
• Shower and inspect body folds.
• Wash clothing immediately.
• Inspect your pets.

Removing a Tick:

• Apply a glob of liquid soap to a cotton ball.
• Cover the tick with the soap soaked cotton ball and let it stay on the insect for 1 minute, after which the tick will come out on its own and be stuck to the cotton ball when you lift it away. Put the tick in a jar, labelled with the date, location of the bite and place where you think you acquired the tick.
• Don't kill the tick before it has been removed. Removing the tick will leave the head in the skin causing infection to occur.
• If any symptom appears, such as a slowly expanding red rash, contact  your physician immediately.