Lyme disease is carried by the black-legged tick, also known as the deer tick. Persons most at risk for Lyme disease are those whose activities put them in wooded, brushy or overgrown grassy areas, where ticks are most likely to be found. The highest rates of infection are reported in persons between two and 15 years of age and 30 to 55 years of age. Prevention Persons can lessen their risk of Lyme disease by reducing their exposure to ticks. Persons should be instructed in methods of examining themselves for ticks after being in tick-infested areas.
Ticks often attach to hairy areas of the body, especially the head and neck.
The tick should not be squeezed when removing. Tweezers should be used to grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible and removed by firmly pulling straight out without twisting. The AAP reports that routine use of antimicrobial prophylaxis is not recommended because of the potential for adverse reactions and associated costs. In highly endemic areas, at most 20 to 30 percent of deer ticks are infected with B. burgdorferi. The risk of infection after a bite by a deer tick in an endemic area is about 1.4 percent.