Bite of a tick
Lyme disease, which is transmitted through the bite of a tick, can now be cured by taking a single dose of an antibiotic (doxycycline), says a study. Lyme disease is directly linked with the destruction of forests due to which the tick gets a chance to jump from its natural host, the white-tailed deer, to humans. The drug tested on people living in Westchester County, New York, USA, with one of the highest rates of Lyme disease in the us, showed positive result. The disease is characterised by a spreading rash and flu-like symptoms and may lead to arthritis, brain swelling and heart abnormalities ( New England journal of Medicine, June 12, 2001)