If you spend time outdoors you need to know about Lyme Disease.

Nearly 90 percent of all cases are reported in the Northeast, and about two thirds of these are in children under the age of 19, according to studies at the University of Connecticut and the Centers for Disease Control.

If you or your child is bitten by the tiny deer ticks that carry Lyme Disease you may not experience the typical symptoms of fever, headache, fatigue, or a bulls-eye skin rash.

If left untreated, infection can spread to your joints, heart, and nervous system, causing many physical, neurological and cognitive problems not previously connected to the disease, according to the Lyme Disease Foundation. Early treatment with an antibiotic is necessary for preventing serious or chronic illness.

For prevention, wear light-colored clothing when in the woods so the ticks will be easy to see. At the end of the day, check your clothes, your pets, behind your ears, your scalp and the rest of your body.

Ticks that transmit Lyme Disease thrive in humid wooded areas; keep your yard clear of leaf litter. Lyme Disease is becoming more common.

If you live in Connecticut you have to take it seriously.