Lyme Disease-Prevention Lyme disease can be prevented by avoiding and removing ticks. You can also get the disease again after successful treatment, so it is important to continue to protect yourself against tick bites.

Lyme disease isn't contagious and cannot be spread from person to person. But there are certain precautions you can take to prevent the spread of the illness.

Recommended Related to Arthritis

Treatments for Chronic Lyme Disease (PTLDS)

A bite from a bacteria-infected tick causes Lyme disease. If you get the disease, you might have lingering symptoms. Some people have ongoing pain and fatigue, says Afton Hassett, PsyD, principal investigator at the Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Center at University of Michigan. The continued symptoms are known as chronic Lyme disease, or post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS).

Read the Treatments for Chronic Lyme Disease (PTLDS) article > >

If you have active Lyme disease, don't donate blood. The bacteria that cause the illness can be transmitted this way. If you have been treated for Lyme disease, you may be able to donate blood, but check with the blood bank first.

A pregnant woman may be able to pass Lyme disease to her unborn child, but proven cases are rare. Lyme disease hasn't been shown to cause birth defects or fetal death.

In this article