The good news for people who live in Lyme-disease regions (the East Coast, Minnesota, Wisconsin and northern coastal California) is the introduction of a vaccine in 1999. The vaccine isn't effective until you've had three shots -- usually over a year, though some doctors give it on a six-month schedule. In the meantime, wear light-colored clothing and inspect for the tiny, round, black ticks after each outing. The Centers for Disease Control recommend using an insect repellent containing DEET. (DEET is the only chemical that effectively keeps ticks away, and the CDC considers it safe at the doses detailed on the repellent's packaging.)

If you do find an imbedded tick, pull it out carefully with tweezers and clean the wound with antiseptic. If a rash develops, an antibiotic should prevent more serious symptoms from developing. If caught early, you'll need three to four weeks of an oral antibiotic like amoxicillin. If caught a few weeks later, you may need penicillin shots for four weeks. Because antibiotics are less effective once the disease has taken hold, you may require another round of oral or injected antibiotics.

Resources
Read: The American Red Cross First Aid & Safety Handbook (Little Brown, 1992); FastAct Pocket First Aid Guide (FastAct, 1999); The Complete Idiot's Guide to First Aid Basics (Alpha Books, 1996); The Outward Bound Wilderness First Aid Handbook (Lyons Press, 1998); The American Medical Association Pocket Guide to Emergency First Aid (Random House, 1993). Visit: the American Red Cross Web site, www.redcross.org, and the American Medical Association's Web site, www.ama-assn.org/consumer.htm.