Most parents of past generations wouldn't think twice when their child was bitten by a tick — they'd likely just remove it and send their tot back out to play. But doctors today know that ticks can carry Lyme disease, the most common infection transmitted by ticks, fleas, or mosquitoes in the United States.
Now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say that more than twice as many cases of Lyme disease are reported today than 15 years ago.
In 1991, when doctors nationwide started reporting Lyme cases to the CDC, there were fewer than 10,000. Now, the CDC is informed of about 20,000 cases of the disease each year. And kids are commonly infected — 61% of the cases from 2003–2005 were among 5- to 14-year-olds.
Caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, Lyme disease is transmitted to people by the black-legged (or deer) tick, mostly in June, July, and August. Though it's found throughout the country, nearly all (93%) of the cases reported in 2003–2005 were in 10 states:
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
- New Jersey
- New York
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- Wisconsin
So, why are there so many more cases now? Not only are more people likely contracting the disease, doctors are also identifying and reporting cases more often. At first, symptoms may include the telltale bull's-eye rash, called erythema migrans (though some never develop the rash at all), as well as flu-like symptoms such as:
- fatigue
- fever
- chills
- headache
- muscle aches
- swollen lymph nodes
When it goes undiagnosed and untreated, Lyme disease can gradually spread to multiple areas of the body, causing symptoms like joint pain and swelling, irregular heartbeat, tingling in the arms and legs, and memory and concentration problems.
What This Means to You
Although you can't keep the kids cooped up inside all summer long, you can follow some practical preventive tips to help your family stay Lyme-free this season:
- Keep your lawn mowed and trimmed.
- Clear brush, leaf litter, and tall grass.
- Stack woodpiles off the ground.
- Create a buffer between woods and lawns using wood chips or gravel.
- Have a licensed professional spray your yard with insecticide.
- Carefully check kids when they've been outdoors, especially behind the ears, on the back of the neck, in the armpits, in the groin area, and behind the knees. Finding attached ticks within 24 hours reduces the chances of getting Lyme.
- Use insect repellant with 10% to 30% DEET (in kids 2 months old and up) no more than once a day on exposed skin, clothing, socks, and shoes, but not on the face, under clothing, or on young kids’ hands.
- Wear light-colored clothes to help you spot hard-to-see ticks. Immature ticks, or nymphs, are about the size of a poppy seed and often transmit Lyme.
- Talk to your veterinarian about tick-control products to help prevent your pet from bringing ticks into your home.
Especially if you live in a Lyme-prone area, it's important to call your doctor right away if anyone in your household is bitten by a tick or shows any early signs of infection. If you or your doctor are uncertain about the diagnosis or whether your child needs treatment, ask the doctor for a referral to a local infectious disease specialist.
Early diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease is key to preventing serious illness and long-term complications. But if they're diagnosed quickly and given a course of antibiotics, kids with Lyme disease almost always have a good outcome.
Reviewed by: Steven Dowshen, MD
Date reviewed: June 2007
Source: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, CDC, June 14, 2007.
