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Despite knowing about the risks of Lyme disease when engaging in outdoor activities, less than half of families responding to a survey say they take precautionary measures to avoid tick bites, as published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases. The large survey of 44,330 American adults and 28,380 caregivers of young children shows that 88-93% of respondents say they are aware of Lyme disease, yet only 34-40% of adults and 40-42% of children’s caregivers take the recommended protective actions, such as using insect repellant before going outdoors or checking for ticks after being outdoors. According to the authors, more than 90% of cases are reported from states in the Northeast, mid-Atlantic, and upper Midwest, and among adults in high-incidence states, only 40% reported always or almost always using repellents or checking for ticks. Interestingly, the data show that the use of prevention measures was reported less frequently when respondents were spending time in their yard—as opposed to activities such as hiking or camping, for example—suggesting that people may discount the risk of Lyme disease associated with the spaces they frequent the most, the authors say.
Patients present to urgent care: The bottom line is that risk for Lyme disease is unpredictable, while risk areas are expanding. Read more about presentations in urgent care from the JUCM archive: Northeast Leads in Lyme-Related Diagnoses in Urgent Care