Michigan Reports 215 New Lyme Cases in 4 Weeks as Tick Season Peaks

2 articles · Updated · WXYZ 7 Action News Detroit · Jun 8

Michigan logged 215 new Lyme disease cases over the past four weeks, prompting health officials to warn residents as blacklegged tick activity peaks.
24 hours is the key window for lowering infection risk: officials said removing a tick promptly with fine-tipped tweezers can significantly reduce the chance of tick-borne illness.
3 to 30 days after a bite, symptoms can include fever, chills, headache, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, swollen lymph nodes, and sometimes an expanding bull’s-eye-like rash.
Untreated Lyme disease can lead to facial paralysis, severe joint pain, heart problems, and nervous system complications, though early antibiotic treatment usually leads to full recovery.
Wooded, brushy, grassy areas — including parks, trails and backyards — pose the main exposure risk, and officials advised repellent, protective clothing, and full-body tick checks after time outdoors.