The organism can enter your body artificially though your nose, eyes, or even cracks in your skin. In general these diseases are difficult ot transmit, but squashing the tick exposes you unnecessarily. In the days and weeks following a tick bite, watch for physiological signals that may alert you to a tick-born disease. Watch for a localized lesion or swelling at the site of the tick bite. In Lyme disease, a reddened target begin to develop within a few days, eventually reaching several inches in diameter.
Unusual rashes are important signals.
Sometimes the lymph nodes become swollen and tender. An individual infected with a tick-born disease may have all or none of these signals. A doctor seeing some of these symptoms may not relate them to ticks, so tell the physician if you've recently been tick bitten or been in tick infested areas so that an accurate diagnosis is possible. People who spend time in the Missouri Outdoors should not overreact to the presence of Lyme disease of any other tick-born disease in Missouri. Minimize your exposure to ticks with every outdoor activity, and if you are bitten to remove the tick as soon as possible.