April 2017 is Lyme Disease Awareness and the "Million Mile Challenge" Month

Lyme DiseaseThis is a lyme disease logo

Lyme disease is caused by a bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi, which is transmitted to a person through the bite of an infected deer tick (Ixodes scapularis). Symptoms of Lyme disease include the formation of a characteristic expanding rash 3-30 days after a tick bite. This rash occurs in approximately 70- 80% of patients nationally. In Maine, a rash is reported in just over 50% of patients, and Maine CDC feels that this number is lower than the actual occurrence. Fever, headache, joint and muscle pains, and fatigue are also common during the first several weeks. Later features of Lyme disease can include arthritis in one or more joints (often the knee), Bell's palsy and other cranial nerve palsies, meningitis, and carditis (AV block). Lyme disease is rarely, if ever, fatal.

For more information about Lyme disease, and how to prevent it, please view the following:

 

Sign up for the Million Mile Month challenge!This is the Million Mile Month logo

April's Million Mile Month is a challenge to complete one million miles of physical activity, together as one global community.

Sign up for the challenge today! It’s easy and it’s FREE!

  • Click on the link to the Million Mile Month.
  • Sign Up for the BRONZE account and enter zero. If you would like to make a donation, it’s fine to sign up under one of the other categories.
  • Provide your email and create a 6-character password that includes at least one letter and one number.
  • Choose MaineDOT from the “Select Your Organization” pull down.
  • Complete all other required blanks and then click “Complete Registration.”