Lyme Disease is carried by Ticks, mostly very small Deer Ticks. They are very common in Nantucket. If one gets on you and you remove it right away, you will probably not catch the disease. If you do not notice it for a day of two (and they can be much smaller that this guy on the finger) your risk increases. Fortunately, the treatment if started immediately is simple, inexpensive, and generally effective. If you see a ring around the Rosy rash like this one, that is fairly diagnostic. It is not the only rash pattern and if in doubt, there is a lab test you can get to see if you were exposed. Avoid walking through bushes, especially ones where animals such as deer congregate. This is basically anywhere on Nantucket, except for inside some buildings. You never know if you are going to have a self limited version of Lyme, but there are enough people who get serious lifelong problems with the untreated disease so...DON'T RISK IT. They may not be able to transplant your heart at Cottage Hospital but I think they can diagnose Lyme pretty well.
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