Pediatric Lyme Disease

What is Lyme Disease? Lyme disease is a bacterial infection spread by the bite of an infected blacklegged tick.
Lyme disease can affect the skin, joints, nervous system, and/or heart. When detected early, Lyme disease can usually be treated with antibiotics. If left untreated, it can result in serious health problems.
The type of tick responsible for spreading Lyme disease in New York State is the blacklegged tick. Not all ticks carry the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. They become infected after feeding on an infected animal, such as mice or other small mammals. You can not get Lyme disease from another person or an infected animal. Transmission times for Lyme and other tick-borne diseases vary, and the sooner a tick is removed, the lower the risk of infection.
It is important to always check for ticks after spending time outdoors. Blacklegged tick nymphs are the size of a poppy seed and adult ticks are the size of a sesame seed. Both can transmit Lyme, as well as other tick-borne diseases.
Transmission time is a current topic of debate, but some pathogens are transmitted in minutes, others hours. Err on the side of caution: the sooner the better. Ticks can be active all months of the year when temperatures are above freezing. However, most tick encounters occur from April through November. Their preferred habitats are wooded areas and adjacent grasslands. Lawns and gardens at the edges of woods may also be home to blacklegged ticks. Ticks may feed on wild animals such as mice, deer, birds and raccoons, but domestic animals such as cats, dogs and horses can also carry the ticks closer to home.
Lyme disease is often hard to diagnose because the symptoms are usually non-specific (fever, fatigue) and similar to those of other common illnesses. Symptoms may occur shortly after being bitten by a tick, but may be so mild that they often go unnoticed. Some people notice a rash after experiencing a tick bite, but many do not.
Many tick-borne microbes also cause disease symptoms of varying severity.
Look for flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache, muscle aches, joint pain, and swollen glands, particularly during times like summer, when colds and flu are uncommon. Severe symptoms such as heart arrhythmias/chest pain or meningitis can also occur. High fever and profound fatigue may accompany infections caused by other tick-borne microbes.
Although a skin rash following a tick bite is a known sign of Lyme disease, many people diagnosed with Lyme disease report never seeing a rash at all. If a rash at the site of a tick bite is observed, it may appear as a solid, expanding red rash, it may look like a bulls eye, or it may take other forms. Left untreated, and even in some people who received treatment for Lyme disease, symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, migrating joint pain, numbness, tingling or burning sensations are known to occur.
If you think that you have been bitten by a tick, see your doctor immediately, and tell him or her of your suspicions. Demand a blood test and demand to be put onto antibiotics immediately. Do not wait for the blood test to come back.
As always thank you all for your continued support of the Pediatric Lyme Disease Foundation, and for taking the time to care and share. Please save the date for our 20th Anniversary Gala Celebration on March 22, 2020. More information will be coming out soon.

Column Posted on Web Site January 22, 2019