Taipei, Oct. 4 (CNA) A woman has been infected with Lyme disease

Woman confirmed to be infected with Lyme disease

Taipei, Oct. 4 (CNA) A woman has been infected with Lyme disease after getting bitten by a tick in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control reported Tuesday.

The CDC said that the patient is a 60-year-Taiwanese woman who lives in Massachusetts with her family.

She developed numbness on the right side of her face and rashes on her limbs Sept. 11 and sought medical treatment in the U.S. She returned to Taiwan Sept. 14 and sought medical treatment Sept. 19 after her symptoms did not improve.

The CDC said that during the Lyme disease incubation period (Aug. 11-Sept. 8), the woman had contact with wild deer, which are the tick's normal host.

Taiwan has had two confirmed Lyme disease cases so far this year, both imported, one from Sweden and the most recent one from the U.S.

The CDC said that there have been 12 confirmed Lyme cases in Taiwan since 2007, all imported.

Lyme disease is an infectious disease caused by bacteria of the Borrelia type. The most common sign of infection is an expanding area of redness, known as erythema migrans, that begins at the site of a tick bite about a week after it has occurred.

The rash is typically neither itchy nor painful. Approximately between 25 and 30 percent of infected people do not develop a rash.

Other early symptoms may include fever, headache and fatigue. If left untreated, symptoms can include loss of the ability to move one or both sides of the face, joint pain, severe headaches with neck stiffness, and heart palpitations, among others. Months to years later, repeat episodes of joint pain and swelling may occur. 

(By Chen Wei-ting and Lilian Wu)
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