Five things to know about Lyme disease:
1. Blacklegged ticks become infected with Lyme disease bacteria by feeding on infected wild animals, such as deer, birds and rodents.
2. Infected ticks can spread it to humans through their bite.
3. Ticks are very small and their bites are usually painless, so you may not know that you have been bitten.
4. Symptoms can be different from person to person, but can include skin rash, headache, fever or chills, fatigue, spasms or weakness, numbness or tingling, and swollen lymph nodes.
5. The sooner you get treatment, the better your chance of recovery. Most cases can be effectively treated with two to four weeks of antibiotics, but some people experience symptoms that continue more than six months after treatment.
