Lyme Disease

Kids

What is Lyme Disease?

Lyme disease affects your body, your skin, your joints (like your shoulders, knuckles, elbows, and knees), and sometimes even your heart or brain.  Below is list of the symptoms (signs) of Lyme disease.  If you have these symptoms, and think a tick could have bitten you, tell an adult.

Most people who get Lyme disease get a rash around the tick bite.  At first, the rash looks like a red circle, but as the circle gets bigger, the middle changes color, so the rash look’s like a bull’s-eye.

• Some people don’t get a rash, but feel sick, like they have the flu.  They might feel tired, have a fever or chills, have achy muscles and joints, and get headaches.
• If someone has Lyme disease for a while, their symptoms can get worse.  They could have swelling and pain in their joints and a stiff, sore neck.  Their face could become numb or even paralyzed (which means their face can’t move).  They could become forgetful or have trouble paying attention.  A few people even have heart problems. 

If you have these symptoms, you should go to your doctor who might give you a blood test to see if you have Lyme disease.  Doctors treat Lyme disease with a type of medicine called antibiotics.  Most people are fine after they take the antibiotics for about a month, but some people have to take the antibiotics for a very long time before they get better.

What are Ticks?
What’s the Big Deal?
How do I Avoid Ticks?
What if a Tick Bites Me?
What is Lyme Disease?
Learn More About Lyme Disease

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