TICKS
A tick was found attached to your child’s skin (____________________). Ticks can transmit two serious diseases, Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. We want you to be aware of symptoms to watch for. Ticks may cause a local infection at the site of attachment.
Lyme disease is a bacterial illness that some people get after being bitten by ticks, which are infected with the organism Borrelia burgdorferi. In most people the first symptom of Lyme disease is a skin lesion called erythema migrans or “bull’s eye” rash – a red bump that expands to form a large red ring, with partial central clearing at the site of a recent tick bite. The “bull’s eye” can vary in size and shape and appear anywhere from 3 to 32 days after being bitten by an infected tick. Fever, fatigue, headache, chills, muscle and joint pain, and swollen lymph nodes may occur as the illness progresses. If the early disease is left untreated, weeks and months after the tick bite other problems may develop involving joints, eyes, and the cardiac and nervous system.
Treatment includes antibiotics and supportive measures.
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is a systemic, febrile disease caused by the parasite Rickettsia rickettsii. It has a characteristic petechial (small pinhead bruises) rash usually occurring before the sixth day, resulting from a bite of a dog tick infected with the bacteria. The rash begins on the wrists and ankles
and spreads to the trunk and other areas of the body within hours. The palms and soles are typically involved. High fever, chills, headache, and muscle pain usually appear 3 to 10 days after the tick bite. In some cases, the rash fails to develop or develops only late in the illness. Multisystem involvement, shock and death can occur if untreated.
Diagnosis is made by history and physical examination findings. It is confirmed by laboratory tests. Treatment is with antibiotics and supportive measures.
If your child should develop any of the above symptoms of Lyme disease and/or Rocky Mountain spotted fever contact your health care provider immediately for evaluation and treatment. Be sure to let your health care provider know that your child had a tick bite.
Prevention:
- Avoid tick-infested areas, such as tall grass. Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants. Keep shirts and pants tucked securely into pant legs and pant legs tucked into socks.
- Conduct a daily tick check. Ticks removed within 24 h ours of attachment are unlikely to transmit disease.
- If a tick is found on your child, remove it immediately. Deer ticks are very small and hard, about the size of a pinhead. They are orange-red or black, depending on their stage of growth. Dog ticks are larger and are brown.
- Insect repellants applied to the skin can be effective against ticks but should be used cautiously. Follow directions exactly, as some repellants can cause toxic or allergic reactions. Insect repellant should not be applied to broken or damaged skin, avoid inhaling the product and keep out of eyes and mouth. When returning indoors, the repellant should be washed off the skin with soap and water.
To remove a tick:
- Wear gloves.
- Cleanse the area of tick bite
- Using tweezers, grasp tick as close to the skin as possible and gently, but firmly pull tick straight out. Avoid any jerking or twisting motion that may break off the mouthparts in the skin.
- After removal, re-cleanse the site and apply some antibiotic ointment.
- Flush the tick in the toilet.
- Monitor for signs of illness for up to one month.