by | Mar 30, 2024 | Family Health
Should I Take My Child to a Doctor for a Tick Bite?
It’s officially Spring! The birds are out, the flowers are up, the leaves are pushing their way toward the sun, and the grass is growing quickly. It is the time of year when Charlotteans grab their baskets and picnic blankets and enjoy time outside reconnecting with nature before the sweltering heat of summer arrives. Be careful, though, because it’s also the time when ticks hope to connect with us!
Tick season is from April to October and the Northeast is one of the prime spots for ticks. Tick habitats are wide-ranging, including wooded areas, gardens, seashores, and grassy spaces. While we are looking for outdoor adventure, they are looking for their next meal, so how do we avoid becoming their next snack?
What are Ticks?
You may think of ticks as just another annoying insect among many, but you would only be partially right. They are pesky for sure, but they aren’t insects. Ticks are arachnids making them relatives of the spider. When you look closely, you can see four pairs of legs and no antennae.
Ticks live in grassy and forested areas. They do not jump or fly, instead, they stand on their back legs with their front legs up in the air just waiting to grab a ride, and meal, on the next thing that passes. Some tick species prefer dogs as hosts, but others lean toward white-tailed deer, small mice, wild animals…and us.
No matter what part of you they initially grab, they find their way to the hairier parts of the body, such as the scalp, behind the ears, armpits, groins, and even into the recesses between the fingers and toes.
Should I be Concerned About a Tick Bite on my Child?
It’s healthy for children to go outside and play, but it is equally important that you check your child for ticks afterward. Ticks are so tiny they can be hard to spot. Allowing them to grab a tiny snack of blood may not seem like a huge deal, but the problem lies in the diseases they can pass to humans. Ticks need 24 to 36 hours to pass on some diseases, but other viruses can be passed to a child in a matter of minutes or hours. Due to the very real risk of illness, every tick bite is cause for vigilance.
Most tick bites result in a reddening of skin color, swelling, and a small bump. In 1975, in Lyme Connecticut, a new tick-borne disease was identified, Lyme Disease. The spiral-shaped bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi causes Lyme Disease. There are over 300,000 new cases of Lyme Disease diagnosed each year in the U.S. with the symptoms varying according to the length of infection. The first symptom is a so-called “bullseye” rash forming a circular red outline around the original bite site. For Lyme Disease to pass to a child the tick must remain attached for at least 36 hours, allowing time for identification and removal. Lyme Disease is carried by the Blacklegged Deer Tick that is found in the Northeast, mid-Atlantic, and North Central U.S, and by the Western Blacklegged tick found in the coastal U.S.
What if I Find a Tick on my Child?
When coming inside from the outdoors, it is important to check your child’s clothes as well as their body. If you find a tick on your child, you should remove it immediately.
Tick removal steps:
- Use fine-tipped tweezers which will allow you to grab the tick close to the skin.
- Pull the tick slowly and steadily in an upward motion.
- Do not squeeze the tick’s body! Doing so will express any bacteria in your child.
- Don’t touch the tick with your bare hands.
- Take a photo of the tick with your phone and enlarge it to verify the type of tick.
- Put the tick in a container in the freezer in case symptoms develop and your child’s doctor needs to see it
- Wash your hands and the bite site with soap and warm water, rubbing alcohol, or antiseptic cream.
- There are plastic card-type tick removal tools that you can purchase to have on hand in case of a tick bite.
We do not advise using petroleum jelly, solvents, knives, or lit matches for tick removal.
Tick-borne Illnesses
The rash associated with Lyme Disease does not always appear. If it does, it can be small or even grow to 12” across. It can be mistaken for hives, eczema, sunburn, poison ivy, or a flea bite. It might not be felt, or it might be bothersome, and it can go away only to come back.
If you suspect your child has a tick bite, watch for Lyme’s flu-like symptoms:
- Headache
- Stiff neck
- Aches and pains in muscles and joints
- Low-grade fever and chills
- Fatigue
- Poor appetite
- Swollen glands
Aside from the rash, Lyme Disease can have lifelong implications if not treated appropriately which include neurological issues, heart problems, and a 60% chance of developing Lyme arthritis. Lyme arthritis occurs when bacteria enter the joints. If it remains untreated by antibiotics it can cause permanent joint damage.
Other health threats transmitted by lone star ticks found in southern states such as North Carolina and Tennessee include Alpha-gal Syndrome which causes a dangerous meat allergy, and the Heartland virus which manifests with flu-like symptoms, low white blood cell and platelet counts, and potential liver dysfunction.
How Can I Prevent Tick Bites?
- Keep to paths and walkways avoiding long grass
- Wear long-sleeved shirts and tuck pants into socks
- Wear light-colored fabrics to make tick spotting easier
- Use insect repellent on exposed skin
- Check your children’s skin, head, and neck areas, including their scalp
- Make sure ticks do not come home on your clothes
- Check pets’ fur so they do not bring ticks into your home
When Should I Contact My Healthcare Provider?
- You can’t completely remove the tick. The longer the tick remains attached to the skin, the greater your child’s risk of getting a disease from it.
- The rash gets bigger developing into a larger rash, perhaps with a bull’s-eye pattern, which may indicate Lyme disease. The rash usually appears within three to 14 days.
- Your child develops fever, chills, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, and a headache
- You observe redness and oozing at the bite site pointing to infection
- If you think the bite was from a deer tick. You may need antibiotics.
Consult your doctor even if signs and symptoms disappear because you may still be at risk of disease. Your child’s risk of contracting a disease from a tick bite depends on where they live or travel, how much time they spend outside in woody and grassy areas, and how well-protected they are.
Despite the presence of ticks and the threats they pose, you and your child can still enjoy the great outdoors by maintaining awareness, taking simple precautions, dressing appropriately, and making sure to regularly check for ticks, especially when you go back inside.
AFC Urgent Care Monroe Road offers tick removal and treatment for Lyme Disease symptoms for patients 6 months and older. However, we do not test for Lyme Disease.
