Summary: Lyme disease is becoming a bigger problem along the Appalachian Trail but still remain much more of a problem in the Northeast. Today I will be discussing 6 ways to prevent lyme disease along with some background on the little tick. Here is the podcast: 6 Ways to Prevent Lyme Disease Podcast Lyme disease on the Appalachian Trail and in the eastern United States is transmitted by black legged tick. Here is a photo from the Center for Disease Control (CDC): Where are the most likely places to get lyme disease? According to the CDC you are far more likely to get lyme disease in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connectict and Massacheusetts than any other place on the Appalachian Trail. It does matter when you are out on the AT (ie. what month of the year) as to how like you are in contracting lyme. Here's another good chart from the CDC. What can lyme disease look like? Lyme disease produces a bullet, here's some photos, a red area around where the tick bite occurred but sometimes it may not happen. I have a friend who didn't have a bullet but was later diagnosed with Lyme. I don't want to scare people from going in the woods but now we'll discuss some things you can do to prevent lyme disease when you do go out. 6 ways to prevent Lyme Disease Use permethrin on your clothes and gear. It last over multiple washings but must be put on ahead of time so it can dry before being worn. Deet (at least 20% deet though) can be used on your body Examine yourself regularly. If you have an animal be sure you examine it also, the ticks can jump off them and onto you. If you have a pet use a tick repellant--they work! Clothing. You can wear long sleeves, long pants tucked into your socks and a hat. Avoid tick infested areas in the peak months (see graph above) Walk in the center of the trail.
