Tick season: Doctors explain how to protect children from dangerous infections
Kyiv • UNN
With the warming weather, there have been more frequent cases of children seeking medical attention due to tick bites. Doctors urge people to seek help in order to avoid Lyme disease and encephalitis.
With the warming, parents with children are increasingly turning to doctors after tick bites. After the "opening of the season" for doctors, such assistance becomes a daily practice. How to act in case of a parasite bite in order to prevent complications, reports UNN with reference to the National Children's Specialized Hospital Okhmatdyt.
Details
Ticks can be carriers of serious infections, including borreliosis (Lyme disease) and tick-borne encephalitis. Often, children get to doctors already with developed symptoms, when they have long forgotten about the fact of the bite itself, which greatly complicates diagnosis and treatment.
If the tick is still on the body, do not remove it yourself. Contact the hospital, where it will be removed correctly and safely.
If the tick has already "fallen off", you still need to consult a family doctor or infectious disease specialist. Only a doctor will determine whether prophylactic treatment or further examinations are needed, explained Raisa Mostovenka, head of the infectious diagnostic boxed department of NDSL Okhmatdyt.
According to her, it is also worth carefully monitoring the appearance of redness, rashes or changes in the child's behavior - these are signals for immediate consultation with medical specialists. In some cases, symptoms may appear even after several weeks or years.".
After a tick bite, the doctor may prescribe short-term prophylactic antibiotic therapy, and if necessary - serological tests (for the presence of antibodies to Borrelia).
To reduce risks, follow simple rules:
- for walks in nature, choose clothes that cover your arms and legs, and headgear;
- carefully inspect the child after returning home;
- use repellents (substances, liquids that repel insects, ticks, rodents) allowed for children, but remember: ticks are becoming more and more resistant.
Tick activity is not a reason to abandon walks in nature. However, it is worth remembering about caution and safety measures.
Let us remind you
Last summer in Zaporizhzhia, in just one week, from 26.07 to 02.08.2024, 6 cases of Lyme disease were registered.