If you live in an area prone to disease-carrying ticks, you don't have to wrap your kids in a plastic bubble every time they go outside. Only about 2 percent of tick bites will result in Lyme. So stay calm! A little common sense, some solid information and a few tick-prevention tricks can keep your family safe outdoors any time of the year.
Tick Prevention
Knowing what a tick looks like at various stages of its development is one helpful tool in Lyme prevention, but it's usually the ones you can't see at all that present the greatest threat to your family. Baby ticks, or "nymphs" can be just larger than a poppy seed or the size of a pencil dot on a piece of paper. Since they are thought to be responsible for the majority of cases of Lyme transmission, and since they tend to nest in areas that are hard to see, anyway, you'll want to dress your child in clothing that makes it difficult for these eensie creatures to navigate into their comfortable zones--places like the groin, underarm, waistline, scalp, etc.
- The first line of defense if your child will be hiking or playing in a weedy area is high, light-colored socks with long pants tucked into the top of the socks. Wearing an undershirt tucked into the top of the pants, covered by a long-sleeved light-colored shirt will make it difficult for ticks to work its way to the skin.
- Keep long hair up and off the face, and pop a hat on your child's head for extra protection.
- Spray the bottom of your child's pants with a tick-repellent for extra protection in tick-infested areas.
- Perform a "tick-check" anytime your family members have been hiking outdoors.
- Send the kids into a hot shower or bath when they return from a wooded or weedy area. Tell them how to search for ticks on their body and what to do if they see one.
What to do if you see a tick
Remove it, of course! But wait--no matter what your grandmother told you, smothering a tick with Vaseline or goop of any kind will NOT prevent Lyme disease and may, in fact, cause disease-carrying ticks to secrete the pathogen. Instead, use tweezers to carefully grab the tick as close as possible to its base (where it is connected to the skin) and gently tug straight up to pull the pincers out without squeezing the body. Wrap the tick in paper or plastic, and promptly dispose of it by flushing it down the toilet or tossing it into an outdoor trash receptacle. If you notice any portions of the tick remaining in the skin, wash the area thoroughly with soap and water, then use sterile tweezers to remove as much as possible. Since the prions that spread Lyme are located in the body of the tick and not in its head or pincers, your child can not catch Lyme from small, disconnected pieces of tick in the skin.
Follow Up
If your family member was bitten by a tick or suspects they may have been recently exposed to ticks, look for possible signs of Lyme, including any unusual rash, fever, fatigue, neurological abnormalities, muscle aches, joint stiffness or pain or swelling of the lymph nodes, over the next few weeks. Symptoms may occur as early as three days after being bitten, but they may not appear for up to a month. A few red, itchy bumps or localized swelling is common from any insect bite--including tick bites--and does not necessarily indicate the presence of Lyme. But if a rash appears to be growing or develops a "bulls-eye" appearance, you should contact your family doctor to have it checked. Many people who develop Lyme disease never develop a rash, so be aware of other symptoms associated with the illness, and call your doctor if you are concerned that Lyme is a possibility.
Symptoms of Lyme
Early symptoms of Lyme disease may include a non-itchy rash that expands into a bulls-eye or cylindrical shape over days and weeks after being bitten by an infected tick. Up to 20 percent of people infected with Lyme never develop a rash, however, and may demonstrate no symptoms at all for days to weeks, as the infection spreads throughout the body. Within weeks of being bitten, the infected person may begin to experience headaches, muscle or neck stiffness, shooting pains, swelling and stiffness in their joints or Bell's palsy--a type of temporary facial paralysis. If the disease is left untreated, symptoms may worsen or become chronic over years, with severe joint swelling, arthritis, neuralgia and other potential immunological responses that can be debilitating and difficult to treat.
Treatment
Caught in its early stages, Lyme disease is easily treatable with 2-4 weeks of antibiotics. Left undiagnosed for too long, and Lyme can become "chronic," leading to months or even years of health issues. If you have any doubt that your family member may have picked up Lyme, it's a good idea to consult your family physician--better safe than sorry when it comes to Lyme.
Resources
For more information on Lyme Disease, visit: http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/
