You don't have to wander through heavily wooded areas to find ticks.

      They could be dwelling in places close to home, like your yard or patio. The rule of thumb, according to Judith Weeg of Roland, spokeswoman for the central region of the Iowa Lyme Disease Association, is to always be wary.

      This is a good time to get this message across, she said, because May is Lyme disease Awareness Month.

      Weeg suffers from Lyme disease. It's something she's been battling for years, to the point of being bedridden for a considerable portion of the day.

      Weeg fondly recalls spending her summer childhood days in Boone. She's lived in Roland now for the past three years. While she lived in New York, she was bitten by a tick.

      She returned to Iowa, she said, and had seen many doctors before finally being diagnosed with Lyme disease.

      "I'm in the late stages of it now," she said. "We needed to get on top of it quickly, at least within the first month, and I probably could have been over it."

      "But there is no cure for me. I have a high fatigue level and can only be out of bed for four hours a day," Weeg said. "I've had to again master reading and writing after suffering from the brain damage I had from the disease. Some people go blind and must use a walker and a wheelchair to get around."

      The ticks that carry Lyme disease include the deer tick, the blacklegged tick and the Western blacklegged tick.
      "This year ticks will thrive. It's been a mild winter. They can propagate by the millions. It has been a very wet spring, and they certainly like the moisture," Weeg said.

      There are various ways to ward off ticks when walking through grassy areas.

      "It's a good idea to wear light-colored clothing, so that you can actually see the ticks. Tuck your shirt into your pants and if you can, pull your socks over your pants legs," Weeg said.

      Another preventive measure is to spray your clothing with repellent containing DEET, which also is suggested for fighting mosquitoes and the West Nile Virus. She also suggested spraying - on clothing only - permethrin, which she said can be purchased at area garden shops.

      "Some entomologists say that wrapping duct tape over the pants and socks areas, sticky side up, will catch the ticks before they move up."

      Weeg said ticks are ground dwellers, and she doubts that many fall off of tree limbs onto the scalps of passing hikers. Birds, however, may carry the ticks to trees, she said.

      Ticks also can be carried throughout the state by deer, mice and other mammals. Ticks need moisture to survive.

      "They look to the ground to get their moisture," she said.

      Ticks can be carried into your yard by animals.

      "You have to be very vigilant with your pets," she said.

      "If you happen to find a tick, use tweezers only to get it out and lift it upright. You shouldn't burn it, or squeeze it off because it could spread the bacteria from the tick," Weeg said.

      Wash the bite site with soap and apply antiseptic. Ticks can be tested for the bacterium if kept in a refrigerated tightly closed container with a blade of grass. Note the date and location of the bite. The hygienic laboratory in Iowa City can test the ticks.

      If the rash stays for 48 hours, or you obtain flu-like symptoms, go see a physician. The rash may have a variety of appearances including multiple rashes or the bulls-eye rash.

      Symptoms of Lyme disease can include joint pain, heart problems, fever, depression, lethargy, pain and limping, kidney problems and loss of appetite.

      According to Weeg, symptoms may be mistaken for influenza, infectious mononucleosis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, psychiatric disorders and other illnesses.

      The Iowa Lyme Disease Association can provide names of physicians qualified for Lyme Disease diagnosis.   Brochures about Lyme disease are also available at area Medicap pharmacies.

      Immediate treatment is normally conducted with a regimen of antibiotics.

      "The tick's bacteria affect people differently. With me, I had a lot of brain damage. The next person may have arthritis, or experience only the flu-like systems.

      "Lyme disease is very, very dangerous. There are a lot of myths out there. But nobody should take it lightly. It's a very serious problem," Weeg said.