World Lyme Day

World Lyme Day History

World Lyme Day seeks to raise awareness about Lyme disease. Lyme disease is a bacterial infection transmitted by the bite of an infected tick. It comes from the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi and is spread by infected ticks usually found in the northeast, mid-Atlantic, upper Midwest, and the pacific coast. This day aims to inform and educate the public about Lyme disease. This includes learning how to prevent it and how to treat it. It is estimated that 300,000 people are diagnosed with Lyme disease in the US every year.

World Lyme Day seems to have been started in 2013 as an awareness campaign. It is observed annually on May 1st.

Facts about World Lyme Day

• The CDC estimates that in 2023, over 476,000 Americans will be diagnosed and treated for Lyme disease.
  In 2022, the CDC reported more than 63,000 cases of Lyme disease/
• The symptoms of Lyme disease may include: red rashes, fever, chills, headache, and muscle aches. If not treated with antibiotics, Lyme disease can spread to the nervous system. This can cause severe symptoms such as arthritis, heart palpitations, or nerve pain.
• Lyme disease is often called the great imitator; disguising itself as many other health problems such as Fibromyalgia, Arthritis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Bells Palsy, ADD, MS and Lupus.
• Lyme disease carrying ticks tend to live in heavily wooded or grassy areas.
• In the fullness of time, the mainstream handling of Chronic Lyme disease will be viewed as one of the most shameful episodes in the history of medicine because elements of academic medicine, elements of government and virtually the entire insurance industry have colluded to deny a disease – Dr. Kenneth Liegner, US Lyme Disease Association Board Member

In the News and Trending for World Lyme Day

Top things to do for World Lyme Day

• Learn about lyme disease prevention if you go into woody or grassy areas. Some tips include:
  1) wearing long pants and sleeves
  2) using insect repellent or bug spray
  3) clearing out tick-prone areas such as brush, wood piles and tall grass.
• Practice removing a tick. You'll need tweezers and some gum or playdoh. Roll up the gum or playdoh into small little cylinders and stick one end down to the table. Practice removing it gently from the base with your tweezers.
• Take your pet to the vet for a check up. Pets are often very susceptible to lyme disease since the ticks can attach and live in a pet's fur unnoticed for a long time. Vets sell preventative pills that can help remove ticks from your pet. Do some research and see if they're right for you.
• Watch a documentary about lyme disease to learn more about it. Some of our favorites include Under Our Skin, Lyme-Light and Touched By Lyme.