Lyme Disease Awareness Month is a time to get people’s attention. It’s a moment each year when we metaphorically shake folks by the shoulders and say, “Hey, this is important. You need to care about this.”

Ticks are a growing threat throughout the United States, and most folks don’t realize how easily a bite can happen or what to do next.

There has been a lot of news coverage about ticks and tick-borne diseases this year, maybe more than ever before. Yet even with all that attention, basic information often gets overlooked: where ticks live, how to prevent bites, how to remove a tick safely, what early symptoms look like, and when to seek medical care.

And it’s not just Lyme disease. Ticks can carry a range of other nasty infections that many people have never heard of.

What everyone should know

• Ticks are active in more places than ever, including backyards and neighborhood parks.
• Most people never feel the bite.
• Not everyone gets a rash.
• Simple prevention works: repellent, protective clothing, and daily tick checks.
• Early treatment can prevent long-term illness.
• Do not forget your pets. They can get sick themselves, and they can also carry ticks into your home where those ticks may turn their attention to you.

What you can do

• Educate yourself and others: learn the symptoms, treatment options, and prevention strategies.
• Practice prevention: wear protective clothing, use repellent, and check for ticks after spending time outdoors.
• Stay informed by reading our website, following us on social media, and subscribing to our weekly newsletter. Throughout May, we will be posting easily shareable educational graphics about ticks and their diseases on Facebook and Instagram. Help us spread the word.

Let’s make awareness count

We are stronger when we stand together. Every voice matters, and every member adds strength to the fight for better care, more research, and real, lasting change.

When you become a member of LymeDisease.org, you are not just supporting a cause, you are joining a movement.

Your membership fuels advocacy, amplifies patient voices, and helps build a community where no one faces Lyme alone. Let’s turn awareness into action, starting with you.

TOUCHED BY LYME is written by Dorothy Kupcha Leland, President of LymeDisease.org. She is co-author of Finding Resilience: A Teen’s Journey Through Lyme Disease and of When Your Child Has Lyme Disease: A Parent’s Survival Guide. Contact her at dleland@lymedisease.org.