It’s tick season – here’s what you need to know about Lyme disease

It is tick season again and it is expected to be another bad one. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of people diagnosed with Lyme disease in the United States has tripled since the late 1990s. And here in Pennsylvania, Lyme disease affects thousands of residents every year.

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection caused by a bite from an infected tick. Symptoms can manifest up to a month after a tick bite. The Mayo Clinic reports that:

From three to 30 days after an infected tick bite, an expanding red area might appear that sometimes clears in the center, forming a bull's-eye pattern. The rash (erythema migrans) expands slowly over days and can spread to 12 inches (30 centimeters) across. It's typically not itchy or painful but might feel warm to the touch.”

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