About 329,000 cases of lyme disease are reported a year according to the CDC. Lyme disease is transmitted through tick bites. Typical symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue and a “bulls-eye” rash.
An important way to prevent lyme disease is to make sure you perform a tick check on your child after they’ve been outdoors.
How should you perform a tick check? Be sure to closely examine your child in these areas for any ticks:
- Under the arms
- In and around the ears
- Inside the belly button
- Around the waist
- The legs
- Clothing
- And of course, the head, which is the hardest part of the body to spot ticks
What’s the best way to remove a tick?
- Use fine-tipped tweezers
- Grasp tick as close to skin as possible
- Pull upward with even pressure, don’t twist or jerk
- Thoroughly clean area after removal with rubbing alcohol, soap, and water
- Submerge live tick–after removal–in alcohol, place in sealed bag, wrap tightly in tape
- You can aslo flush a tick down the toilet
- Never crush with fingers
If you have a question about a tick or a rash, you can reach a live doctor using LiveHealth Online 24/7.