04/17/2026
What are we seeing this week? Tick bites!
WHAT IS LYME DISEASE?
Lyme disease is an infection spread by deer ticks. The most common early sign is a red rash called erythema migrans that appears 1-2 weeks after a tick bite. While often described as a "bull's-eye," the rash is usually just uniformly red and expands over several days. Other early symptoms include fever, chills, headache, and joint pain.
HOW TO PREVENT TICK BITES:
--After kids play outside, check their skin and hair — especially the scalp, behind the ears, around the neck, in the eyebrows and eyelashes, and under the arms.
--When playing in wooded areas, kids should wear long-sleeved shirts and pants and tuck pant legs into their socks.
--Use an insect repellent with at least 10% to 30% DEET for protection against bites and stings.
--Clothes also can be treated with a specific insecticide (like permethrin) to help prevent bites.
--Wash kids' skin with soap and water when they come back inside. --If you've been in an area with ticks, wash all clothes in hot water and tumble dry on high heat before they're worn again.
HOW TO REMOVE A TICK:
Remove it promptly with fine-tipped tweezers by grasping close to the skin and pulling straight out. Do not twist or rock the tick from side to side, wait for it to let go. Clean the area with soap and water or alcohol to disinfect.
WHEN TO CALL THE DOCTOR:
--Your child has had a tick bite, especially if the tick might have been on the skin for more than 24 hours. (Sometimes we prescribe a preventive dose of antibiotics for kids at high risk for Lyme disease.
--A rash of any kind develops (especially a red-ringed bull's-eye rash or red dots on wrists and ankles).
--The bite area looks infected (increasing warmth, swelling, pain, or oozing pus).
--Your child gets symptoms like a fever, headache, tiredness, stiff neck or back, joint swelling, or muscle or joint aches.
--Your child has facial paralysis (can’t move areas of the face).
