It's summer, and that means spending more time outdoors. While having fun in the sun, it's important to take the right safety precautions for your health. According to the National Institutes of Health, "tick-borne diseases are found in many areas across the country, and they're on the rise."

Tick bites can cause Lyme disease, and when left undiagnosed, Lyme disease can have serious consequences.

The neurologic symptoms that can occur include numbness, pain, weakness, paralysis of facial muscles, visual problems, fever, stiff neck, headache, decreased concentration, memory loss, sleep dysfunction and nerve damage in the limbs. Neurological symptoms can occur weeks, month and even years after the initial infection, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that is spread by the bite of ticks. There are two varieties of ticks that are primarily responsible for transmitting the disease. These are Ixodes scapularis, which is found in the Northeast, Midwest, South and Southeast of the U.S.; and Ixodes pacificus, which is found on the West Coast.

The ticks carry the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that each year there are approximately 30,000 cases of Lyme disease in the United States.

One of the classic signs — occurring in approximately 70 percent of Lyme disease cases is a circular inflammation surrounding the site of the tick bite. This is referred to as Erythema migrans or a "bull's-eye" rash.

Other early signs can include chills, fever, fatigue, headache, swollen lymph nodes and muscle/joint aches. Laboratory blood tests contribute to an accurate diagnosis, but the CDC does not recommend the conservative use of blood tests in the absence of symptoms.

Fredric J. Silverblatt, M.D., an emeritus professor of medicine with Brown University and the co-director of the South County Hospital Lyme Disease Clinic in Rhode Island says "most people get over Lyme disease with no sequelae."

Silverblatt suggests a twice-daily, two-week regimen of an inexpensive antibiotic such as doxycycline. When a person reports symptoms of Lyme disease but do not recall a tick bite or rash, a detailed medical history is important and laboratory testing for related antibodies can contribute to an accurate diagnosis of Lyme Disease.

The NIH emphasizes prevention. Keep ticks off the body by wearing long sleeves, long pants and long stockings as well as using repellants with 20 percent DEET.

As most bites from ticks occur during the outdoor seasons of spring and summer, vigilance in searching for bites after being outdoors can be helpful. Removing a tick immediately can also help prevent infection.