The Season of the Tick

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Summer is prime time for Lyme disease, and this summer could be a bad one. The number of cases doubled from 2001 to 2002, according to the latest figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), mostly as a result of continued human infiltration of Mother Nature's turf. Carried by a parasitic tick on mice, deer and household pets, the disease has spread to 43 of the 48 contiguous states — although 12 states in the Northeast and northern Midwest still account for 95% of reported cases. (Reported cases, however, may represent only a tenth of the total number of cases, according to the CDC.)

Lyme disease is nothing to fool around with, especially for those in the groups at highest risk — children ages 5 to 14 and adults ages 50 to 59. Caused by a spirochete bacterium called Borrelia burgdorferi that is transmitted via the bite of the so-called deer tick, the disease is usually accompanied by an expanding bull's-eye rash (at least 2 in. in diameter) at the site of the bite. Secondary symptoms may include muscle pain, headache and swollen glands. Left untreated, the bacterium can lodge in various body tissues (where blood tests may not detect it) and cause fever, sore throat, severe fatigue, joint pain, tingling or numbness in the extremities and changes in vision. In late stages, the disease can lead to arthritis, meningitis, facial drooping, numbness in the hands and feet, and neurological disorders that can include short-term memory loss, inability to concentrate or finish sentences, disorientation and confusion.

The good news, according to Erin Staples of the CDC, is that Lyme disease is almost always readily cured if diagnosed early and treated with a short course of antibiotics (doxycycline, amoxicillin and Ceftin are most often recommended). Infection doesn't usually occur until the tick has been attached to your body for 36 hours. So if you are going into the woods this summer, wear shoes, socks and light-colored clothing; spray your clothes and skin with an insect repellent that contains DEET; stay on cleared, well-traveled trails; avoid moist, shady areas covered with leaf litter or low-lying vegetation; don't sit on the ground or on stone walls; keep long hair under a cap or tied back; and do a full-body tick check at the end of the day.

That said, it's also important to keep Lyme disease in perspective. There's no need to panic. If you take the right precautions, you should be able to stop worrying and enjoy your summer.

Sanjay Gupta is a neurosurgeon and CNN medical correspondent