Providing education, advocacy, and support for Lyme disease patients, the professionals who work with them, and people at risk in Ohio See our new page with instruction and information on the Flagging of Ticks. The Lyme Disease Association of Ohio, an organization of all individuals interested in Lyme disease including patients, physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals, supports Lyme disease patients, the professionals who work with them, and the people at risk in Ohio by educational projects and by advocacy for those with the disease and those directly and indirectly affected by the disease, its diagnosis and treatment. There is considerable debate in the medical community about what Lyme disease is and how long treatment should last. The surveillance definition is often mistakenly used to diagnose or fail to diagnose the disease. Lyme disease is a bacterial infection caused by Borrelia burgdorferi, a spirochete.
Infection is caused by the bite of an infected tick.
Initial symptoms after the tick bite are usually mild and go away with or without simple antibiotic treatment - leading to the myth that the disease is not serious. If an infection is untreated, or is not treated quickly or long enough, the spirochetes disseminate throughout the body. The result can be a very serious multisystem infection, potentially long-lasting and often difficult to treat. Cases have been reported from every part of the state. 76 of Ohio's 88 counties have reported cases.