Lyme Disease

Prevention
There is not currently a human vaccine available to prevent Lyme disease, but standard precautions can greatly reduce the risk of becoming infected. Precautions include wearing light-colored long sleeved shirts and pants, tucking pant legs into socks, wearing closed shoes, avoiding wooded and grassy areas especially in spring and early summer, using a tick repellant, checking for ticks after spending time outside, and removing ticks as soon as they are found. Pets should also be routinely checked for ticks.

Treatment
Lyme disease is usually treated with oral antibiotics for several weeks to a few months. Some people may require intravenous antibiotics. In most cases, those with Lyme disease recover rapidly and completely. In some cases, especially with late stage Lyme disease, some joint pain and neurological damage may persist. For more on Lyme disease and treatment, see the FAQs About Lyme Disease on the Infectious Diseases Society of America website.