Lyme disease: what is it, how dangerous is it, how do you get it, and should you vaccinate?

What is Lyme disease?

• Lyme disease, Lyme borreliosis, or Lyme disease is a bacterial disease caused by the bite of a tick.
• The pathogenic bacterium in Lyme disease is Borrelia bacterium, which spreads through your body after the bite of the beet and can cause all sorts of unpleasant symptoms.
• The tick carries the bacteria after biting an infected animal, such as a rodent or bird, in its most recent stage.

Where does Lyme disease occur?

• Lyme disease occurs in North America, throughout Europe, and medium-sized parts of Asia.
• The distribution of ticks, known as sheep ticks and deer ticks, partly determines the spread of the disease.
• The names of these species are a bit confusing: small animals, pets, and people are also bitten by sheep ticks and deer ticks.

What are the symptoms of Lyme disease?

• Lyme is a multi-headed monster and is difficult to diagnose with fixed symptoms.
• The most common symptom seen shortly after eating beets is a red circle around the beets. Unfortunately, this only occurs in less than half of all infections.
• Symptoms that also frequently occur in the first few days after infection include: fatigue, fever, swollen lymph nodes, and other flu-like symptoms.
• If no treatment is given after the initial phase of the disease, or if the antibiotics are not (fully) effective, the symptoms worsen: severe headaches, arthritis-like joint pain, facial paralysis, and severe fatigue.
• In some patients, the symptoms then become chronic.

How to prevent Lyme disease?

• Prevent tick bites; see 'Ticks and Tick removers' for more information.
• Remove the tick as soon as possible. The risk of Lyme infection is small in the first 24 hours.

Are there vaccinations against Lyme disease?

• No, there is currently no vaccine available.
• However, a vaccine for humans is expected to become available within a few years.

Can Lyme disease be treated?

• Early treatment with antibiotics can prevent or cure Lyme disease in many cases.
• However, because the Borrelia bacteria involved can disguise themselves and hide in the body, antibiotic treatment is not always effective.
• The further the bacteria spread through your body, the less likely it is that antibiotics will kill all the bacteria.