Lyme Disease-What Increases Your Risk The main risk factor for Lyme disease is exposure to ticks that are infected with Lyme disease bacteria. In areas where Lyme disease is widespread, such as the northeastern United States and Canada, several factors may increase your risk, including:

• Spending time outdoors during the warm months of the year when ticks are most active. This is usually between May and November, with peak activity in June and July.
• Having indoor/outdoor pets. They can bring infected ticks into the house. Although dogs and cats can become infected with the Lyme disease bacteria, they cannot pass the illness to humans. But the infected ticks can drop off the animal and then bite and infect a person.
• Having a stone fence or a bird feeder near your house. Stone fences often become homes for mice, and mice may feed on spilled seed from a bird feeder. Where there are mice, there are ticks.

Remove ticks right away, as soon as you notice them. Your risk for getting Lyme disease increases the longer a tick is attached to your body. Ticks generally cannot transmit Lyme disease until they are attached for at least 36 hours.

Recommended Related to Arthritis

Understanding Plantar Fasciitis -- Symptoms

The symptoms of plantar fasciitis include: Pain in the bottom of your foot, especially at the front or center of the heel bone Pain that is worse when first rising in the morning (called "first-step pain"), when first standing up after a long period of sitting, or after increased levels of activity, especially in non-supportive shoes

Read the Understanding Plantar Fasciitis -- Symptoms article > >

In this article