Over the past few decades, a tiny insect has added a level of fear to summer months. The fear is wellfounded: Many ticks carry a bacteria that causes Lyme disease, an infection that may last for months if the bite isn’t spotted early enough. In May, health authorities warned that rates of tick-borne illnesses—which have skyrocketed over the past decade—show no signs of abating.
TICKS: ALAMY [4]
2 Average size of the rash that appears five to seven days after a tick bite, signifying Lyme disease in about 90 percent of cases. Other symptoms: fatigue, chills and fever, headache, muscle and joint pain and swollen lymph nodes.