Lyme disease is a bacterial infection spread to humans by infected ticks.
The tick must be present on your skin for approximately 24 to 48 hours in order to transmit the infection.
However, many who have become infected with Lyme disease do not realise that the tick is attached to them until it is too late.
Much like Louise Cole-Jones, who spent years in pain and thousands of pounds on private medical care before being diagnosed with the disease.
Almost two decades after being bitten by a tick aged 18, the nurse has finally been diagnosed with a host of tick-borne illnesses.
Despite being a qualified nurse, she claims that she had been overlooked by health professionals who misdiagnosed her on a number of occasions after reporting a variety of different symptoms linked to the disease.
Louise visited her GP as she believed she had Lyme disease shortly after being bitten, however it has taken 20 years for her to be officially diagnosed.
She said she was tested for the illness and to her surprise, the result came back negative.
According to Lyme Disease UK, testing can generate between 170 and 560 times as many false negative results compared to methods used for diagnosing HIV.
A negative test does not mean Lyme disease is absent, and if not treated promptly, can result in serious and long-term illness, according to the charity.
Louise then spent up to £10,000 on appointments in a bid to find out what was making her so unwell.
She explained: "Initially I was fit and well, I hadn't had any childhood illnesses at all. I had never been in hospital and had never been to the doctors.
"Then I was working at a farm for people with learning disabilities and I began to feel unwell. I saw a tick crawling next to me which had obviously bitten me.
"It felt like a severe headache and I was warm so I went to bed. The next morning, colleagues came to wake me up and they couldn't wake me up. I woke up with what felt like my brain swelling.
She added: "...I struggled for about six years with horrendous symptoms, I was really unwell."
But what are the the signs and symptoms of the disease?
What are the symptoms of Lyme disease?
According to the NHS, during the early stages of Lyme disease, a circular or oval shaped rash around the tick bite is likely to appear.
It can take up to three months for the rash to appear after you have been bitten.
However, it usually appears within one to four weeks and may gradually spread.
The rash can last for several weeks and can have a darker or lighter areas in the centre.
The rash may be flat, or slightly raised, and look pink, red or purple when it appears on your skin.
It is not usually hot or itchy.
The rash can be harder to see on darker skin and may instead look like a bruise.
Some people also get flu-like symptoms a few days or weeks after they were bitten by an infected tick, such as:
- a high temperature, or feeling hot and shivery
- headache
- muscle and joint pain
- tiredness and loss of energy
Treatment for Lyme disease
According to the NHS, if a GP thinks you might have Lyme disease, they'll prescribe a course of antibiotics.
The type of antibiotics prescribed will be dependent on your symptoms.
You may need to take the medication for up to 28 days.
It is important to complete the course, even if you begin to feel better.
Unfortunately, if symptoms are severe you may be require hospital treatment.
You will be referred to a specialist in hospital so that antibiotics can be administered directly into a vein.
Some people with severe symptoms will be referred to a specialist in hospital so antibiotics can be given directly into a vein.
Most people with Lyme disease get better after antibiotic treatment.
This can take months for some people, but the symptoms should improve over time.
People with symptoms of Lyme disease that last a long time after treatment may be referred to a specialist in hospital for advice and more blood tests.
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