Lyme disease & ticks facts and myths
Due to diverse and partly misleading information, there is great uncertainty regarding Lyme disease.
In the following, we, the practice of Dr. Frühwein and Partners, would like to help you gain some clarity about this disease. As an infectious disease practice, we have decades of experience in the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease.
Prevent tick bites
is the best protection
- If necessary, use tick repellents (e.g. skin sprays based on DEET) when you go out into nature
- After spending time outdoors, check for ticks in the evening (especially the back of the knee, pubic region, belly button area, armpits, hairline). This is the best protection against a Borrelia infection: the shorter the suction period, the less likely a Borrelia transmission!
- Take a shower in the evening: ticks that are “on the lookout” can be rinsed off in this way.
- When removing a tick, it is best to do so with tweezers; grasp the tick just above the skin and pull it out slowly and straight; however, you can also pull the tick out with your fingernails (important here: do not squeeze the tick’s body; do not twist it out; at most, carefully shake and twist it back and forth to make it easier to pull out; do not use glue, oil, vinegar, alcohol, etc.).
- Even if the stinging apparatus remains in the skin, there is no risk of infection, it simply falls off later with the scab that forms.
- As with all skin injuries, a tick bite carries the risk of tetanus infection; check your vaccination record to see if tetanus protection is still in place (lasts 10 years). If you are not sure, go to your family doctor
- If the tick has been undetected for more than 24 hours, observe the bite site. If after a few days, rarely up to weeks, a circular redness appears around the injection site, see a doctor. He will then prescribe you an antibiotic
- If you develop a general feeling of sickness or other non-specific symptoms (fever, headache, aching limbs), also consult a doctor and report the tick bite
In principle, Lyme disease is a disease with a good prognosis!
However, as with many medical problems, Lyme disease cannot always be assumed to be exclusively known. Medicine is a science in flux. We try to look at each case individually. If you would like more information, we recommend this page from the Bavarian State Office for Health and Food Safety:
http://www.lgl.bayern.de/gesundheit/infektionsschutz/infektionskrankheiten_a_z/borreliose/index.htm
And if you are still unsure or have questions: make an appointment at the practice of Dr. Frühwein and Partner!
Sources:
- Bavarian State Office for Health and Food Safety
- at – Arzneimitteltelegramm 2014 Issue 45
- Bavarian Medical Journal Issue 4 / 2013
- German Medical Journal 2009 / 106 (5)
- Robert Koch Institute