It is impossible to shield your child from all misfortunes, no matter how hard you try. The demand for medical treatment due to tick bites rises as summer approaches. Was your child bitten by a tick? If your little one got tick bitten, the question of what to do and where to go is very pressing. Contact a doctor right away, either at an emergency department or at the local first-aid facility. There, someone will help you in removing the tick and give instructions on what to do next.
What Are Ticks?
A tick is a type of arthropod bug that lacks eyes, it resembles a little spider about 2 to 4 millimeters in length. After a tick bite, it expands dramatically in size and becomes visibly apparent, causing a lump beneath the skin. Due to its well-developed sense of smell, it is able to orient itself in space and smell a human or animal.
Deciduous and coniferous woods, thickets of bushes, meadows heavily covered with long grass, river banks, and sunny mountain slopes are the greatest habitat for ticks. They may now be found not just in the woods, but even in rural surroundings, such as city parks. They are usually found on the ground or in thick grass, waiting for their prey. When a tick detects a human approaching, it may leap off a tree limb and fly a few meters to reach the target.
He clings to the skin and searches for an opportunity to start biting. Finding a suitable location might take up to three hours. If you can detect it during this period, you shouldn’t be worried about a child bitten by a tick.
How Can I Remove a Tick?
If your child does, unfortunately, get bitten, your next question would be “how to remove a tick from a child?”. To remove the tick from a child, carefully hold it with your fingers or tweezers and twist it in a circle, slowly dragging it out. Unscrewing the nut is a good analogy for the entire tick removal procedure. It’s vital to remember that you can’t rush since a sharp grab of the tick’s head might leave it in the child’s skin, posing a risk of infection.
Are Tick Bites Dangerous?
How dangerous is a tick bite for a child? There are up to 40,000 distinct types of ticks in nature. The majority of them aren’t dangerous to people. However, certain species, such as encephalitis and Ixodes ticks, are disease carriers. The following are the most common infections:
- tick-borne encephalitis (it is transmitted by about 6% of ticks). This virus causes inflammation of the brain’s nerve fibers and is the one that carries the most tick bite danger for children.
- borreliosis (Lyme disease) is a parasitic infection caused by Borrelia burgdorferi (from 10 to 20 percent of insects). This is a bacterial infection that affects the neurological and cardiovascular systems, resulting in musculoskeletal system abnormalities and severe headache.
- piroplasmosis (babesiosis) – up to 30%. Piroplasmosis is most common in animals, but some species of ticks can infect humans as well. It’s a protozoa-borne parasitic illness. It’s still relatively new and hasn’t been well investigated, yet it’s incredibly harmful to people. Babesiosis is particularly dangerous for kids who have anemia or have a long-term progressive condition.
What Should I Look for After a Tick Bites My Child?
A tick bite is painless because it contains painkillers. As a result, the fact that the bite occurred may go undiscovered. What does a tick bite look like? How to find a tick bite on your child? At the site of a tick bite, you may notice redness, swelling, and feel warmth, or itching – these are the most common symptoms of how you can find a tick on the body.
However, depending on the type of infectious insect, the bite site will look different. For example, a prominent red circle forms around the site of a tick bite in case of Lyme illness.
Can I Prevent Tick Bites?
Yes, you can! How to prevent a tick bite?
- The first line of protection is proper attire. A light outfit that covers the body as much as possible is the safest: a long-sleeved shirt, pants that can be tucked into socks, closed shoes, and a cap on the head. It is preferable to wear light clothing that allows you to notice ticks more quickly and prevent a child bitten by a tick.
- Make use of specific chemicals, such as repellents (acaricides). They are available as sprays or ointments. For kids, there are hypoallergenic choices to avoid an additional allergic reaction.
- Keep your distance from the tall grass. When strolling in the woods or a park, stay closer to the center of the route.
When you go home from a trip to the woods, make sure to check your children thoroughly. Pay special attention to the following areas: line of socks; lower and upper linen line; shirt band line; hair; scalp; ears. A basic examination like this takes very little time, yet it is very beneficial to one’s health so it should become a regular habit.
