Lyme disease prevention walk will raise awareness

[River Falls Journal, May 10, 2019] Lyme disease is a bacterial infection spread by deer ticks and deer tick nymphs (the stage between larvae and adult), according to Dr. Rita Raverty, a family health physician with Allina Health River Falls Clinic.

"The first stage of the disease is typically a flu-like illness, where people will have headaches, body aches, fever, joint pain," Raverty said. "Just feel like they're sick with the flu."

Along with that, a rash shaped like a bullseye often forms around the tick bite.

"That typically presents anywhere between three and 20 days after the bite from an infected tick," Raverty said.

But, she said, not everyone who gets Lyme disease will get the bullseye rash. People will often present other symptoms, such as joint pain, inflammation, or an infected joint.