Explain Prophylaxis of lyme disease
No vaccine is currently available to prevent Lyme disease in humans. Avoidance of ticks and use of tick repellents such as DEET or picaridin, or the insecticide permethrin on clothing can prevent Lyme disease. Since transmission of B. burgdorferi is more likely with prolonged tick attachment, prompt removal of ticks can also prevent disease. Whether early antibiotic prophylaxis is indicated after a tick bite is controversial; the strongest indication is in a highly endemic area when an engorged tick is attached for 48 hours or more. In one study of 482 patients who had removed an attached I. scapularis tick, a single 200-mg dose of doxycycline (Vibramycin, and others) within 72 hours of tick removal was 87% effective in preventing development of erythema migrans at the site of the bite. In another prophylactic study, 10 days of amoxicillin (Amoxil, and others) appeared to be effective (no treated patients developed the disease), but the incidence of infection in the placebo group was too low to permit any conclusions.