Heeding the Lyme Disease Alerts

Is it me, or does it seem like Lyme disease has become quite the hot topic?

Here is Health Canada's public health reminder:

http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/phn-asp/2015/lyme-eng.php

I think the first time I paid attention to Lyme disease was when a story came out about Avril Lavigne.   She was diagnosed with Lyme disease, and she had said she was bedridden for 5 months.  Sadly, it took a celebrity story to highlight to me how serious this disease could be.  What is scary is the number of cases where the disease remained undiagnosed for months.  Doctors had told her she was dehydrated and exhausted.

Lately, I have seen posts in some local mom forums about some bite marks that their kids are getting.  Some of these moms believe the marks to be mosquito bites, but when pictures of the bites are posted other moms let them know that they look like tick bites!

What does a tick bite look like?

The classic tell tale sign is that of a "bulls eye" rash as shown in the picture above.

So now whenever we're out for walks I'll check my child to see if I notice any rashes or any bugs.  I try to keep her in long sleeves, and long pants.  Not all tick bites will result in Lyme disease, but it is good to get familiar with preventative measures as well as symptoms because you just never know!