I can recall back in 2001,I had a tick bite me on the leg.In California's coastal mountains,the Pathwelo Tick lives and thrives off of Deer,Wild Pigs and rodents of all types.

I removed the tick as I always do when one gets imbedded into my body.But this time I noticed a round red rash appear and didn't go away for a couple weeks.It caused swelling of the area and caused itching also.

After a couple months my joints were starting to hurt,especially in the elbow and knee areas,so I went to the doctor for an examination.It is very important for a person to tell the doctor if you were bitten by a tick,spider or whatever as they the doctors will diagnose you for a tick bite.

My doctor ran tests for my tick bite and the results came back positive for lyme disease.She then started me on treatment and it cured my joint pain,so far as it has been 8 years since the bite.

Ticks are carriers of the Lyme bacterium in their stomachs. The ticks then are vectors that can transmit the bacterium to humans with a tick bite.

If you are bitten by a tick,go have tests ran to be sure you don't have lyme disease.

Don't let someone or yourself remove the tick and forget it ever happened or you may be paralized from the disease later in life.

The number of cases of the disease in an area depends on the number of ticks present and how often the ticks are infected with the bacteria.

In certain areas of New York, where Lyme disease is common, over half of the ticks are infected. Lyme disease has been reported most often in the northeastern United States, but it has been reported in all 50 states.In the United States,

It is primarily contracted in the Northeast from the state of Maine to Maryland, in the Midwest in Minnesota and Wisconsin, and in the West in Oregon and Northern California.

Lyme disease is treated with antibiotics under the supervision of a doctor. Several antibiotics are effective. Antibiotics usually are given by mouth but may be given intravenously in more severe cases.

Patients treated in the early stages with antibiotics usually recover rapidly and completely. Most patients who are treated in later stages of the disease also respond well to antibiotics.My treatment was by mouth.This disease can go into remission and show up later in a persons or animals life.

After one year I went back to my doctor to be tested again.

It should be delt with in an expeditious manner to prevent loss of normal functioning of body parts.