Lyme borreliosis, the other term for Lyme disease is a disease caused by bacterial infection. This bacteria is spread by ticks of the borrelia type or species. It gets to human beings through a tick bite from an infected tick. The tick gets the infection from host animals that are infected. Such animals include deer and mice. The bacterium however, is not carried by all ticks. Treatment of many diseases has been developed due to their prevalence. Due to this, vast developments have also been taken in developing the cure of Lyme disease. Elaboration of the question;is there a cure for lyme disease, has been done below.
After the tick gets attached to you, it takes around 36 to 48 hour to pass the infection to your body. Removal of these ticks is not possible due to their small size making them difficult to recognize. In addition to that, the ticks hide in difficult-to see areas such as the armpits, groin and the scalp regions. Erythema migrans, a reddish area that starts as a rash and expands is the first signal of infection. It usually occurs one week after being bitten. The area won't be painful or itchy.
Other symptoms that may follow include fevers, headaches and feeling tired. Within the body, joints, face, neck, muscles and even the heart may be affected by this infection. These lead to the said signs and symptoms in addition to muscle pains and neck stiffness. It may also lead to meningeal inflammation in the brain. Diagnosis of this disorder is usually based on the above symptoms. Blood test is however the officially confirmatory means of diagnosing it.
Treatment of Lyme disorder is possible. This is however effective if detected early. If diagnosis or treatment is delayed, there are risks of developing long lasting complications. It is therefore important to seek treatment once you start developing such signs and symptoms.
Antibiotic medications have been proved to be effective in treatment of Lyme disorder. Such antibiotics include Doxycycline which is widely recommended as first line medication. This is because it has double advantage in that apart from curing Lyme infection, it also cures other infections caused by ticks. However, the drug is not advisable for use in children less than eight years or pregnant women. This is due to the fatal side effects.
Amoxicillin and azithromycin, also antibiotics, act as second line medications for treating the disorder. They are effective when administered either orally or intravenously. The period of treatment varies and usually ranges from one week to four weeks to completely eliminate the disorder. This duration is however determined by the severity of the disease process. It has been proved that starting the treatment within the first two weeks of infection is effective but this is not possible since the bacteria can be visualized in blood for diagnosis after five weeks.
As we all know, prevention is better than cure. It is therefore more prudent to prevent this disease than cure it. There are many ways that have been suggested to prevent the disease. Vaccines were initially the most effective way of preventing the disease. However, production of the vaccines was stopped due to the small market that was available.
Wearing of protective clothing such as long sleeved hat and long trousers or boots is another preventive method. Also, light colored clothing make the tick easily visible for removal before it attaches itself. Using insect repellents, keeping off long grass and reducing contacts with primary hosts, deer and mice would also help in prevention.
After the tick gets attached to you, it takes around 36 to 48 hour to pass the infection to your body. Removal of these ticks is not possible due to their small size making them difficult to recognize. In addition to that, the ticks hide in difficult-to see areas such as the armpits, groin and the scalp regions. Erythema migrans, a reddish area that starts as a rash and expands is the first signal of infection. It usually occurs one week after being bitten. The area won't be painful or itchy.
Other symptoms that may follow include fevers, headaches and feeling tired. Within the body, joints, face, neck, muscles and even the heart may be affected by this infection. These lead to the said signs and symptoms in addition to muscle pains and neck stiffness. It may also lead to meningeal inflammation in the brain. Diagnosis of this disorder is usually based on the above symptoms. Blood test is however the officially confirmatory means of diagnosing it.
Treatment of Lyme disorder is possible. This is however effective if detected early. If diagnosis or treatment is delayed, there are risks of developing long lasting complications. It is therefore important to seek treatment once you start developing such signs and symptoms.
Antibiotic medications have been proved to be effective in treatment of Lyme disorder. Such antibiotics include Doxycycline which is widely recommended as first line medication. This is because it has double advantage in that apart from curing Lyme infection, it also cures other infections caused by ticks. However, the drug is not advisable for use in children less than eight years or pregnant women. This is due to the fatal side effects.
Amoxicillin and azithromycin, also antibiotics, act as second line medications for treating the disorder. They are effective when administered either orally or intravenously. The period of treatment varies and usually ranges from one week to four weeks to completely eliminate the disorder. This duration is however determined by the severity of the disease process. It has been proved that starting the treatment within the first two weeks of infection is effective but this is not possible since the bacteria can be visualized in blood for diagnosis after five weeks.
As we all know, prevention is better than cure. It is therefore more prudent to prevent this disease than cure it. There are many ways that have been suggested to prevent the disease. Vaccines were initially the most effective way of preventing the disease. However, production of the vaccines was stopped due to the small market that was available.
Wearing of protective clothing such as long sleeved hat and long trousers or boots is another preventive method. Also, light colored clothing make the tick easily visible for removal before it attaches itself. Using insect repellents, keeping off long grass and reducing contacts with primary hosts, deer and mice would also help in prevention.
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