The Lyme disease vaccine is considered to be 70 percent effective, and is recommended for persons who have prolonged exposure to tick-infested areas in places at high risk for Lyme disease transmission, and may therefore be at higher risk for Lyme disease. The vaccine is not available through the New York City Department of Health. Any individual interested in Lyme disease vaccine should consult with his or her own physician or health care provider. Babesiosis and Ehrlichiosis Additionally, Dr. Cohen emphasized that a person who is vaccinated against Lyme disease must continue to guard against ticks because ticks can carry other diseases which the vaccine does not protect against. RMSF is characterized by the sudden onset of high fever, severe headache, fatigue, deep muscle pain, chills, and rash.
Symptoms usually appear within two weeks of the bite of an infected tick.
In extreme cases, RMSF can be fatal. Most of those cases were acquired in New York City. To help prevent tickborne diseases, the New York City Department of Health conducts several programs to identify where ticks are common and how many of them might be carrying disease. The Health Department is collecting more comprehensive information on individual Lyme disease and RMSF cases, to identify areas in and out of New York City where people may be at risk for tickborne diseases. In cooperation with the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, the Health Department has collected ticks in parks and tested them for tickborne disease, and is monitoring conditions which may affect the number of ticks in an area.