Treatment is with antibiotics. Untreated, Lyme disease may result in severe damage to joints, the heart and nervous system. In Texas, more than 1,680 possible cases of Lyme disease have been reported since 1990. Of those, just over 580 cases met the case definition for Lyme disease. Both Rocky Mountain spotted fever and human ehrlichiosis, other diseases carried by ticks, can be fatal if not treated quickly.
Symptoms resemble flu with high fever, headaches and muscle aches.
There also can be a measles-like rash. Ticks are small and easy to miss. They attach to any part of the body head to toe. Wear light-colored clothes to easily spot ticks. If you do find a tick on your skin, remove it right away.