(KDKA) PITTSBURGH Health experts say Lyme disease is on the rise in our area.
With more than 4,000 cases a year, Pennsylvania is second only to New York in the number of reported cases.
Nationwide, the numbers have doubled in the past ten years and doctors in this area are expecting to see a lot of it this time of year.
"It's a little better known disease than it was ten years ago," said Dr. Andy Nowalk of Children's Hospital Infectious Diseases. "It may be a little higher on people's radar. Mid to late summer is the most intense time for reporting cases."
The tiny deer tick carries the bacteria that cause Lyme disease.
The ticks find people living near where deer are found.
Symptoms include a target-shaped rash, fever, muscle aches, joint pain.
Lyme disease can also be associated with brain inflammation, weakness on one side of the face, and heart rhythm problems.
You're at risk for this infection if you spend a lot of time in wooded or grassy areas and if you have exposed skin.
Kids especially fall into this group.
You can keep your family safe from Lyme disease by clearing away leaves and brush from your yard, keep woodpiles in the sun and by covering up and wear bug spray with DEET.
If you find a tick on your kids or yourself, remove it quickly before it plumps up.
The bacteria get into your body if it stays attached for more than a day and a half.
Use tweezers to grab the tick by the mouth and pull it out of the skin.
Luckily, antibiotics can fight this disease.
The target-shaped rash is a pretty distinctive feature, but sometimes the rash is missed, especially if it's under the shorts or up in the hairline.
In someone with possible symptoms, Lyme disease can be diagnosed with a series of standardized blood tests.
(� MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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WOW, SARAH! thanks so much for bringing them up; they REALLY have had coverage in PENN.
tree, i promise NOT to tell anyone you have a BIG mouth if you promise NOT to tell anyone about MINE!! good night everyone!
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