The Lyme Disease Travel Advice Guide

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection spread by ticks in the wooded areas of Europe and North America. Travelers can prevent Lyme disease by preventing tick bites. Anyone who contracts Lyme disease should be treated by a medical professional.

Are you planning a trip to wooded areas? Keep reading to learn how to protect yourself from Lyme disease and what treatment is available if you contract it.

In this article, we’ll discuss Lyme disease and offer tips for travelers, expats, and digital nomads in affected regions. We’ll also provide ways to find health insurance abroad to make sure you can afford health care costs abroad. And after this article, check out the 14 most common diseases to out for when traveling abroad!

What Is Lyme Disease?

Lyme disease is spread by back-legged ticks when an infected tick bites you. The bacterial infection starts with a rash, fever, and fatigue. If left untreated, the disease can also affect the skin, joints, heart, and nervous system. 

Where is Lyme Disease Found?

Lyme disease is found in wooded areas of North America and Europe. The countries in Europe with the highest number of Lyme Disease infections are in central Europe. These countries include the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Estonia, and Slovenia. 

Other European countries with lots of Lyme disease cases (up to 16 cases per 100,000 people) include Slovakia, Poland, Bulgaria, Finland, and Hungary. 

Fewer cases, on average, were reported in Belarus, Belgium, Croatia, Norway, Serbia, and the Russian Federation. These regions experienced up to 5 cases per 100,000 people.

In North America, Lyme disease is found in the northeastern region of the United States and parts of Canada. If you suspect Lyme disease, no matter where you are, seek medical treatment.

For travelers to these regions and others, make sure you’re familiar with common diseases you may encounter on your journeys.

Lyme Disease Travel Restrictions

There are currently no travel restrictions for Lyme disease. 

How to Avoid Lyme Disease While Traveling Abroad

To avoid Lyme disease, you need to prevent tick bites. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends wearing long pants and long-sleeved shirts. 

Apply repellants to both skin and clothing. Also, regularly check for and remove ticks.

Currently, there is no licensed vaccine for Lyme disease.

Checking for Ticks

To prevent ticks from biting you, follow the most up-to-date advice from the CDC. This includes immediately removing clothing worn outdoors. Ticks can be killed in the dryer or by being washed in hot water. Shower as soon as possible to remove unattached ticks.

Inspect your entire body, but pay attention to folds or creases that are especially attractive to ticks. These areas include

• In and around your ears, children are particularly prone to ticks on or around their head
• Under your arms and neck
• Between your legs and around your groin
• Around your waist, including inside your belly button
• In and around your hair

Check your children and anyone in your traveling group who needs assistance for ticks. 

Removing Ticks Promptly

The CDC recommends removing ticks with tweezers. Avoid twisting or jerking since this can cause the mouth of the tick to break off from its body. Once you have removed the tick, wash the area with soap and water or alcohol. Do not crush the tick with your fingers.

To dispose of the tick, put it in alcohol, wrap it tightly in tape, flush it down the toilet, or seal it in a plastic bag. Consult a healthcare provider if you develop any fever or symptoms like a rash following a tick bite.

The goal is to remove the tick as quickly as possible. Avoid any folklore or old wives’ tales about tick removal like petroleum jelly, applying heat, or nail polish. Don’t wait for ticks to detach on their own.

Ticks usually need to be attached for at least 36 to 48 hours to spread Lyme disease, so fast removal can prevent infection.

What Happens If I Get Lyme Disease Abroad?

If you suspect you or your child have Lyme disease, seek out a healthcare provider. A doctor can review your symptoms and the likelihood of exposure and run laboratory testing to confirm Lyme disease. 

If you have Lyme disease, your doctor will prescribe antibiotics for treatment.

If testing shows your symptoms are not caused by Lyme disease, you may have another condition with similar symptoms. Make sure you have good travel health insurance when you travel abroad to get all of the care you need.

For expats or digital nomads, health insurance is also available for longer-term stays abroad. 

Causes of Lyme Disease

Lyme disease is only caused by certain types of bacteria, and it is only spread by tick bites. The most common bacteria is called Borrelia burgdorferi. In rare instances, Lyme disease may also be caused by the bacteria, Borrelia mayonii.

Is Lyme Disease Contagious?

Lyme disease is only spread by tick bites. This means that a tick bites another infected person or animal first and then spreads the infection by biting another. 

The prevalence of Lyme disease varies from location to location, and it cannot be spread directly from one person to another.

This means that you won’t get Lyme disease by hugging or being in close contact with someone infected with Lyme disease.

Common Symptoms of Lyme Disease

The most common early symptoms of Lyme Disease include a fever, rash, fatigue, aches, swollen lymph nodes, or headache. 

These symptoms appear 3 to 30 days after the tick bite. In later stages of infection, symptoms may affect the joints, nervous system, or heart.

Early Symptoms of Lyme Disease

The most famous early symptom of Lyme disease is a rash called Erythema migrans (EM), also called the “bulls-eye” rash. However, EM varies widely in appearance and doesn’t always present as the classic “bulls-eye” rash.

Even without the rash, you may experience other symptoms. If you feel ill after a tick bite, seek medical attention.

Later Stage Lyme Disease

Later-stage symptoms can occur days to months after the initial Lyme Disease infection. These symptoms affect multiple systems of the body and can become debilitating over time. 

Laboratory testing is needed to confirm whether your symptoms are caused by Lyme disease or another serious condition.

Nervous System

Severe headaches, neck stiffness, and facial palsy are possible symptoms of later-stage Lyme disease in the nervous system. Lyme disease may also cause nerve pain, shooting pains, numbness, and tingling in the hands and feet. Doctors will check for inflammation of the brain or spinal cord.

Joints and Muscles

Lyme disease may cause intermittent pain in tendons, muscles, bones, and joints. Arthritis of knees and other joints may present as swelling and severe joint pain.

Heart

In the later stages, Lyme disease can affect the heart. The disease causes heart palpitations or irregular heartbeats called Lyme carditis. Symptoms of this complication include dizziness, shortness of breath, or chest pain.

Common Treatments for Lyme Disease

The most common treatment for Lyme disease is oral antibiotics. Typically, penicillin is used over the course of a few weeks to treat Lyme disease. 

If needed, people with severe Lyme disease may need IV antibiotics.

Speak with your healthcare professional to get appropriate treatment. Avoid dangerous alternative treatments offered by unlicensed or discredited practitioners like Malariotherapy for Lyme disease.

Conclusion

Lyme disease is a fairly common disease spread by ticks in North America and Europe. You can prevent Lyme disease by preventing tick bites. If you contract Lyme disease, see a healthcare professional for antibiotic treatment.

Be sure to check out insurance for traveling or living abroad. This will make sure you can get treatment anywhere your journeys take you. Look up insurance offerings for your destination.

Travelers to regions outside of North America and Europe can check out some of our other articles about diseases abroad. Travelers to Asia will want to be aware of Japanese encephalitis.

World explorers headed to sub-Saharan Africa should learn about meningitis abroad.

If you want more information on travel-related diseases, check out our articles on Tuberculosis Travel Advice and Schistosomiasis Travel Advice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Lyme disease a permanent condition?

Lyme disease treated in the early stages with antibiotics resolves completely. Recovery usually happens rapidly and completely.

Does Lyme disease last for years?

Once treated, the bacteria that causes Lyme disease leaves the body. However, some once-infected people may still experience symptoms once the bacteria is gone. This is called post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome.

What is the risk of Lyme disease from a tick bite?

The risk of contracting Lyme disease from a tick bite depends on what type of tick bit you, where the tick is from, and how long the tick was attached to you. If you develop symptoms of Lyme disease after a tick bite, see a healthcare provider.