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Children love playing in long grass, rolling down hills and running through parks and fields, making them open to bites from an infected tick, which can result in Lyme disease. However, it is a disease that is difficult to diagnose – on average, it takes patients five to ten visits to various doctors to obtain a proper diagnosis. There is also a real lack of awareness of the profound impact this disease can have if left untreated.
The disease is treatable with antibiotics, but left alone can become a severely debilitating illness that affects multiple organs, including joints, heart, brain and other parts of the central nervous system.
The rates of infection are also climbing throughout the UK, Europe and around the world. Annually, in the UK and Ireland there are now 1,000-plus new cases, and more than 329,000 in the US. Most cases of Lyme disease occur in late spring and early summer.
What are the symptoms?
Many tick bites will go unnoticed, which can cause delayed diagnosis. Any skin irritation, flu-like symptoms or increased fatigue can be a sign of infection. Look out for:
- fever and sweats
- swollen glands
- malaise
- neck pain or stiffness
- migratory joint or muscle aches and pain
- cognitive impairment, such as memory problems and difficulty concentrating (sometimes described as ‘brain fog’)
- headache
- paresthesia (pins and needles)
- rash – about 40 per cent of people will develop a bull’s-eye red rash around a tick bite. The rash can appear up to three months after being bitten by a tick and usually lasts for several weeks. Most rashes appear within the first four weeks.
The chances of infection are often related to how endemic your area is for Lyme disease. However, with infection rates on the rise, it is advisable to visit a doctor as soon as possible if you have any concerns about a child having contracted the disease.
Where are ticks a problem?
Once confined to a handful of countries, Lyme disease is now a worldwide issue, found in more than 80 countries. In the UK, particularly high-risk areas are the South of England and Scottish Highlands, but infection can occur in many areas.
Ticks are most commonly found in the woods or in high grasses, but more and more they are appearing in back gardens, sports fields and beach grasses.
How do you protect children from ticks?
Wear light-coloured clothing, use effective repellents and integrate daily tick-checks into your routine, and check for ticks any time children spend time outside.
Disease-carrying ticks are tiny (sometimes as small as the head of a pin) and seek out dark, warm and moist places to attach to the body, making them very hard to spot. So, make sure to check behind the ears, on the scalp and in any skin folds or creases.
As an extra precaution, parents could put their children’s clothes in the dryer for ten to 15 minutes to kill any ticks that may be attached to the clothing.
Common natural bug sprays do not offer any protection from ticks. Deet is most effective for fending off ticks, but because it is a neurotoxin, many parents don’t feel comfortable using this on their children’s skin.
Picaridin, however, is safe for children older than the age of one, and it is even safe to apply during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
What do you do if you find a tick?
If a child is bitten by a tick (especially a Lyme-disease-carrying, black-legged tick), remove it as soon as possible.
The longer a tick is attached, the more likely it is to transmit an infection.
Global Lyme Alliance has a helpful guide on how to remove a tick (see More information).
MORE INFORMATION
Lyme Disease: medical myopia and the hidden global pandemic (2019) by Dr Bernard Raxlen with Allie Cashel (Hammersmith Health Books, pb £14.99, ebook £6.99) features expert insights, offers ways to stay safe, treat and prevent it, and considers the problems with diagnosis and disparities in treatments. To order, visit: www.hammersmithbooks.co.uk
A tick removal guide is at: https://bit.ly/2WooXLA
Dr Bernard Raxlen MD specialises in neuropsychiatry and neurocognitive complications. Today, more than 90 per cent of his practice is devoted to chronic Lyme disease (CLD) and co-infections. Allie Cashel BA is the author of Suffering the Silence: Chronic Lyme disease in an Age of Denial (North Atlantic Books)