Tick Season is Back
BY DR. CHRISTINA JOHNS
Ticks. Just the word can make your skin crawl.

In addition to the “ick” factor, ticks and the diseases they carry can be a serious threat to kids’ health
and need to be diagnosed and treated as quickly and completely as possible.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
reports that tick-borne diseases like
Lyme disease have more than tripled
between 2004 and 2016. It’s believed
the number of unreported cases could
infl ate that number further.

But these annoying arachnids (Did you
know ticks are in the spider family?)
shouldn’t keep active kids from doing
the fun summer things they love most.

Here’s what to watch out for to make
sure you have a tick-free summer:
Use insect repellent and wear long
sleeves and pants while in wooded
areas. Insect repellent with up to 30
percent DEET (an active ingredient in
insect repellents) is safe even for babies
as young as two months.

stomach contents (and potentially
germs) into the person.

WATCH FOR A RASH
this virus are circulating. Symptoms
are similar to the other tick-borne
illnesses: fever, vomiting, headache,
weakness and sometimes confusion
and neurological problems. Since this
is a viral infection and not a bacterial
one, there is no specifi c treatment other
than supportive care and hydration.

Stand your kids in the shape of a “T,”
arms out, and look over the entire
surface area of the body. Ticks love to
hide in the folds of skin: behind ears,
knees, at the waistline and in the hair.

Removing ticks as rapidly as possible
decreases the chances you’ll get sick.

Not all ticks carry Lyme disease.

If you do see a rash, go see a doctor.

It could mean either Rocky Mountain
Spott ed Fever (RMSF) or Lyme disease,
depending on where you live. The
rash in RMSF often begins on the
wrists and ankles. In Lyme disease,
the rash usually arises at the site of the
tick bite and is described as looking
like a “bull’s eye,” or red with central
clearing. Other tick bites can cause tick
paralysis, where the person is literally
paralyzed until the tick is removed.

IF YOU FIND A TICK
SOMETHING NEW TO
SPONSORED CONTENT:
LOOK OUT FOR
Dr. Christina Johns is senior medical
HOW TO LOOK FOR TICKS
Use tweezers or your fi ngers to grasp
the tick as close to the skin as possible,
then pull it off fi rmly. Remove
everything, especially the head. Try
not to squeeze the tick’s body as that
can cause the tick to discharge its
26 June 2018
washingtonFAMILY.com There’s a new tick-related illness to be
aware of: the Powassan virus. Weather
conditions this spring have been
favorable to tick reproduction and
survival, and so more ticks carrying
The best advice is to prevent these
bites altogether. Otherwise, be on
guard and do regular checks of your
kids (and your pets!) after they come
in from an afternoon outside. Don’t
let these litt le buggers ruin the best
months of the year.

advisor for PM Pediatrics, the largest
provider of pediatric urgent care in the
country, with more than 30 child-friendly
locations across NY, NJ, Long Island, CT,
PA and D.C.

Antagain/E+/Getty Images
BEFORE GOING OUT