Summer is officially here and that means your family will likely be spending a lot of time in the great outdoors during the next three months. That’s good news for parents who want their kids to take advantage of the fresh air. However, the bad news is that being outdoors increases your children’s chance of coming into contact with ticks infected with Lyme disease.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, Lyme disease is an infection caused by harmful bacteria typically found in animals such as mice and deer. Ixodes ticks can pick up the bacteria when they bite an infected animal, then transmit it to a person, which can lead to Lyme disease. If left undetected Lyme disease can affect the skin, joints, nervous system, and other organ systems. Severe cases can even cause death.
While Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne disease in the United States, studies show a child’s risk of contracting the painful disease after being bitten by a tick is very low. Still, it’s important to know enough about the disease to avoid having your family become affected by it.
The Centers for Disease Control says most cases of Lyme disease occur in the Northeast, upper Midwest, and Pacific coast areas of the United States. Among the states hardest hit by the disease are:
*Connecticut
*Delaware
*Maine
*Massachusetts
*Maryland
*Minnesota
*New Hampshire
*New Jersey
*New York
*Pennsylvania
*Wisconsin
Internationally, severe cases of Lyme disease have been reported in Asia, Europe, and parts of Canada.
Health care experts say most cases of Lyme disease occur between April and October, but the summer months–particularly June and July—-are when parents need to be extra vigilant when it comes to protecting their children from tick exposure.
Regardless of where you live you should be extra cautious if your child spends a lot of time playing in or near tall grass, brush, shrubs, or wooded areas where ticks tend to breed. Also, be careful if you have pets. Infested ticks can be transported indoors by dogs or cats that play in tick-infested areas. Finally, hiking, camping, fishing, or hunting in tick-infested areas also increases your risk of getting Lyme disease.
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