A Guide to Preventing Lyme Disease in the Great Outdoors from the Outdoor Project

Lyme disease is an infectious disease caused by bacteria primarily transmitted by tick bites. There are many different types of ticks and many different strains of Lyme. The smallest "nymph" ticks (many the size of a poppy seed) are the most concerning, as they are almost invisible to the naked eye and often leave an undetectable bite.

Lyme is the fastest-growing infectious disease in the United States, 1.5 times more common than breast cancer and six times more common than HIV. Lyme disease is prevalent across the entire country, with cases in all 50 states. The Center for Disease Control acknowledges at least 300,000 new cases of Lyme each year, or 824 per day, over 200 of which are children. That's four school buses of children newly diagnosed with Lyme every day.

LymeLight Foundation was founded by two families in California who incurred enormous medical expenses treating each of their daughters suffering from Lyme disease. Grateful for the financial means to provide our daughters with lifesaving medical treatment, we met many parents who were forced to decide between feeding and housing their families or treating their sick children. LymeLight Foundation was founded on the belief that this is a choice no parent should have to make.

Over the years, we’ve learned everything you need to know to prevent tick bites in the outdoors, and what you need to do when you have been bitten. May is Lyme Awareness Month, and these important strategies could help save yours or your children’s life.

Read the full guide from Phyllis Bedford on Outdoor Project's website here.