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River Valley Pediatrics |
531 Central Park Avenue, Suite 102
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Bugs (Mosquitoes and Ticks) Unfortunately, mosquitoes and ticks are an irritating part of the summer experience in our area. Both can cause disease, but are usually more of a worry and nuisance. There are ways to protect our children. Mosquitoes congregate anywhere where they can find human or animal blood. They are more active in the evening hours, and are attracted to areas with standing water. In tropical countries, they carry serious diseases like malaria. In our area, despite infrequent transmission of rare viral diseases such as West Nile Virus, mosquitoes pose more of a nuisance. However, we have noticed more and more allergic reactions to mosquito bites in recent years. As usual, prevention is the most important action that we can take. Wearing long sleeves and hats, and avoiding mosquito-rich areas especially at dusk can help. Insect repellants can be safe and effective in children greater than 6 months of age. We generally recommend products with DEET concentrations of 10% or less, or products with picaridin. Avoid flowery perfumes or soaps; these tend to attract insects. Most insect bites can be treated with cool compresses and twice daily application of over the counter 1% Hydrocortisone cream. Avoiding scratching is difficult but important to avoid secondary infection. Lyme disease is caused by a bacteria carried by deer ticks. These ticks are attracted to human or animal blood, and deposit the bacteria under our skin, causing disease. Deer ticks, and therefore Lyme disease, are very common in New York State. Ticks can be active anytime the temperature is above freezing. Lyme disease manifests in stages. First, a characteristic rash with a bulls-eye appearance appears. Fevers, chills, and joint pains can follow. If untreated, Lyme disease can cause more severe symptoms, with joint swelling and pain, nerve problems, heart problems, facial paralysis, and meningitis. Not all ticks carry Lyme disease, and ticks must be attached to the skin for at least 24-36 hours to transmit the bacteria. Therefore, if you return from a walk in the woods and find a lone tick walking on your clothes or skin, you are at minimal risk for Lyme disease and do not need to be tested. If you spend time outdoors, try to wear long sleeves and pants. Check your children frequently for ticks. Wear insect repellant. If you do find a tick on your child, gently pull the tick upwards and off of the skin using tweezers. Then disinfect the area. Do not try to squeeze, burn, or apply alcohol or Vaseline, as these methods can actually cause the tick to release more bacteria into the bloodstream. If you cannot remove the tick come in for an appointment as soon as possible. We will generally tell you to circle the date on the calender. For the next 30 days, if your child has any rash, unexplained fever, or joint pains, come in immediately. We will either test for Lyme or empirically start your child on antibiotics if we feel that there is a risk of Lyme disease.
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