Canadian singer Justin Bieber recently revealed that he has Lyme disease - a tick-borne infection that can take months or years to resolve, even after treatment.
Canadian singer Justin Bieber recently revealed that he has Lyme disease - a tick-borne infection that can take months or years to resolve, even after treatment.
Bieber is the latest celebrity to raise awareness of the infection, which affects thousands of people in the US every year (Lyme disease is more common in the US than in the UK).
It's not always easy to tell if you have Lyme disease because the symptoms resemble those of many other conditions. However, this article should help you better understand the condition and how to reduce your risk of developing it.
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection caused by a bite from an infected tick.
Ticks are tiny creatures found in woodland areas. They feed on the blood of mammals, including humans. As they’re so small they often go unnoticed and may stay attached to your skin, feeding, for several days.
The longer the tick feeds on your blood the higher your chance of getting the infection.
The first symptom is usually a red skin rash around the site of the original tick bite. It often appears as a circular pattern that looks a bit like a ‘bull’s eye’ on a dartboard. If the tick bite goes unnoticed and no treatment is given, it can take weeks or even months for the Lyme disease rash to appear.
If Lyme disease isn’t treated you may develop more severe symptoms months or years later. Long-term symptoms of Lyme disease include:
The bacterium that causes Lyme disease lives in certain animals like mice and birds, and is usually harmless to them. This bacterium can be transferred to humans when a tick sucks the blood of an infected animal and then sucks the blood of a human being.
Only a small number of ticks are infected with the bacterium that causes Lyme disease.
There are things you can do to reduce your chance of getting the disease, including:
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.Important: Our website provides useful information but is not a substitute for medical advice. You should always seek the advice of your doctor when making decisions about your health.