Pediatric Lyme Disease

PREVENTING TICK BITES

1. Know where to expect ticks - Ticks live in grassy, brushy, or wooded areas, or even on animals. Spending time outside walking your dog, camping, gardening, or hunting could bring you in close contact with ticks. Many people get ticks in their own yard or neighborhood.
2. Treat clothing and gear with products containing 0.5% permethrin. Permethrin can be used to treat boots, clothing, and camping gear and remain protective through several washings. Alternatively, you can buy permethrin-treated clothing and gear.
3. Use Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registered insect repellents containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus (OLE), para-menthane-diol (PMD), or 2-undecanone. EPA's helpful search tool can help you find the product that best suits your needs. Always follow product instructions. Do not use products containing OLE or PMD on children under three years of age.
4. Avoid contacts with ticks. Avoid wooded and brushy areas with high grass and leaf litter and walk in the center of trails.  

AFTER YOU COME INDOORS

1. Check your clothing for ticks. Ticks may be carried into the house on clothing. Any ticks that are found should be removed. Tumble dry clothes in a dryer on high heat for at least ten minutes to kill ticks on dry clothing after you come indoors. If the clothes are damp, additional time may be needed. If the clothes require washing first, hot water is recommended. Cold and medium temperature water will not kill ticks.
2. Examine gear and pets. Ticks can ride into the home on clothing and pets, then attach to a person later. So carefully examine pets, coats, and day packs.
3. Shower soon after being outdoors. Showering within two hours of coming indoors has been shown to reduce your risk of getting Lyme disease and may be effective in reducing the risk of other tick-borne diseases. Showering may help wash off unattached ticks and it is a good opportunity to do a tick check.
4. Check your body for ticks after being outdoors. Conduct a full body check upon return from potentially tick-infested areas, including your own backyard. Use a hand-held or full-length mirror to view all parts of your body, and check these parts of your body and your child's body for ticks: under your arms, in and around your ears, inside belly button, back of knees, in and around the hair, and between the legs.

Each year state and local health departments report cases of Lyme disease to CDC through a passive reporting system, the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System. This system provides vital, detailed information for monitoring the geographic, seasonal and demographic features of Lyme disease in the United States. However, because it is a passive system that relies on busy health care provides to submit records, many cases do not get reported. Having said that,  if you think you or your child has gotten bit a by tick go to your doctor (preferably a Lyme Literal Doctor (LLD) immediately and demand a blood test and to be put on antibiotics . Do not wait for the blood test come back, that may be to late. Remember when it comes to Lyme disease "TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE".
For the last year raising funds and receiving donations has been slow at best and none at worst. If you or your club can see a way to make a donation to the Lyme Foundation or purchase a Brittany Fellowship, one of our Emerald Awards, or a Joseph Michael West Fellowship, please do, as this is the only way we receive funds.
We need the funds to help pay for the treatment and/or medication  of a child with Chronic Lyme Disease.
Rose Marie and I want to say "Thank You" to the most generous people that we know, and belong to the greatest community service organization in the world, Kiwanis.
On a lighter note, mark your calendars. The new date for the Lyme Gala is December 5, 2021, at the Floral Terrace, 250 Jericho Turnpike in Floral Park. If you have any questions about the gala please feel free to call Distinguished Past Governor Joe Aiello, who is the chairman of the Gala, or any board member. Rose Marie and I and all the board members look forward to seeing you there.         

Column Posted on Web Site July 14, 2021