Lyme Disease: What You Should Know to Protect Yourself
May 16, 2025 | Tags:
Spring and summer bring sunshine and warm weather, but they also mark the start of tick season.
Some tick bites spread Lyme disease, an illness that can cause serious and long-term health issues if left untreated. Reports from the Ohio Department of Health show Lyme disease cases have jumped from 37 in 2010 to over 1,700 in 2024. As numbers grow, it’s important to know what Lyme disease is, what symptoms to look for and how you can protect yourself and others.
What is Lyme disease?
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection from an infected tick bite that progresses through stages lasting weeks, months or years.
Lyme disease cases are tracked by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to identify high-risk areas, allowing for better public health interventions and prevention.
Signs and symptoms of Lyme disease
Because tick bites are small, they often go unnoticed, potentially leading to untreated Lyme disease. The earliest sign of Lyme disease is a bull’s-eye rash that expands over time.
“People can develop a headache, fatigue, joint and muscle pain, fever and chills,” said Dr. Dwight McFadden, Assistant Medical Director at Medical Mutual.
He notes that symptoms can progress to nerve weakness and pain, dizziness or shortness of breath, numbness or tingling in the extremities, irregular heartbeats and chest pain.
How to stay safe
Ticks inhabit wooded and grassy areas, transferring to people through direct contact with tall shrubbery. To avoid tick bites, wear long clothing and enclosed shoes, and check for ticks while outdoors and once again indoors. For pets, ask your vet about tick prevention.
If you find a tick, promptly and carefully remove it by following these steps:
- Avoid touching the tick with bare fingers by using fine-tipped tweezers to grasp it as close to the skin as possible using a steady upward motion until it releases.
- Avoid using products like petroleum jelly, nail polish, kerosene, alcohol or heat for removal.
- Wash your hands and the bite area thoroughly with soap and warm water.
- If possible, secure the tick and take a picture to help your provider assess your risk of a transmitted disease.
When to see your provider
"Lyme disease is curable if identified and treated early, but if it remains undiagnosed until later stages, it can result in chronic health problems," Dr. McFadden said.
Contact your primary care provider (PCP) if you notice a small bug bite developing into a larger rash, you develop flu-like symptoms after spending time in tick-prone areas or you can’t fully remove a tick. Also reach out to your PCP if you’ve received a Lyme disease diagnosis and experience symptoms like a stiff neck or mental confusion after treatment.
Medical Mutual can help you find a PCP. Use our provider search tool at MedMutual.com/FindAProvider or call the Customer Care phone number listed on your member ID card to speak to a representative.