It's high summer in the northern hemisphere, and unwanted 8-legged hitchhikers abound in many of the places people exercise outdoors. Throughout the continental United States, ticks are known to transmit Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, to name just a few illnesses.

Named after the town of Lyme in Connecticut, Lyme disease is now the most commonly reported illness transmitted by ticks. According to an analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published in May, in 2009 alone there were over 38,000 confirmed and probable cases of Lyme disease.

The month of July is typically the peak for Lyme disease, according to CDC. So far this year, cases are down. Only about 6,700 cases were reported through the first part of July, compared to the same time last year, when there were nearly 14,000 reported cases.

General symptoms of Lyme disease include a rash, flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills, body aches, headache and severe fatigue. Since these symptoms are common to a number of conditions, one telltale sign of Lyme disease is the descriptively named bull's eye rash. This type of rash consists of a red ring around a circular area of pale skin. It often appears in the area of the tick bite and can appear anywhere from a few days to a few weeks after a bite. Although it starts small, the rash can spread to cover an area as large as a few inches across. Although it is helpful in diagnosis, not everyone with Lyme develops the rash. For that reason, blood tests are also used to make the diagnosis. However, any positive results  do not show until several weeks after the infection starts. If it is identified in the early stages, Lyme disease can be treated easiily and cured with a several weeks of antibiotics. 

Rocky Mountain Low

Although reported cases are more rare than with Lyme Disease, the symptoms of Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) are more severe. Typical symptoms include a fever, headache, abdominal pain, vomiting, and muscle pain. A rash may also develop, but can often absent at first and in some people may never develop. RMSF can be a severe or even fatal if not treated with a specialized antibiotic in the first few days of symptoms.

The CDC says it has recorded a mere 250 to 1,200 reported cases over the past 50 years. The organization is quick to add that like Lyme disease, it is likely that RMSF goes underreported. Over half of all reported Rocky Mountain spotted fever cases came from Southeastern states, while not surprisingly, the Pacific states and those of West South-Central region also show a higher incidence rate.

Consequently, prevention could be said to be the best medicine for both diseases.

To limit exposure to the ticks that are known to spread the diseases, the CDC recommends wearing appropriate clothing. Part of the recommendation is that the clothing be light in color - practical both for spotting ticks that might have attached themselves and reflecting the sun's rays away from the exerciser. The other part of the recommendation - wearing long sleeves and pants - might not be so practical when it comes to summertime exercising, however.

With that in mind, here are a few tips to limit exposure to tick bites when exercising outdoors this summer.

• Hikers,walkers, runners, and cyclists passing through wooded or areas of tall grass growth should stay in the middle of paths, if possible.
• Use appropriate tick repellants on the skin and clothes also helps deter ticks from attaching - repellants containing the chemical DEET are an example.
• After exercising, examine yourself for ticks.

Tick Off

Ticks inject a chemical that renders their bite painless - so even if you don't feel a bite, it doesn't mean you haven't been bitten.

Despite all kinds of folk wisdom to the contrary - such as using drowning, suffocation, and trial by fire, the CDC suggests that expediency is the key, and that the best way to remove ticks is to pull them out with tweezers.

"Your goal is to remove the tick as quickly as possible - not waiting for it to detach," the organization states.

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