[Franky]

By DOREEN NAGLE
GANNETT NEWS SERVICE

(Original publication: May 10, 2007)

With the nicer weather starting to show its sunny face, you and your family will likely spend more time outdoors. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Lyme disease is still the most common tick-borne disease in the country. Caused by the bacteria (Borrelia burgdorferi), it is transmitted through the bite of an infected tick. If left untreated, infection can spread to joints, the heart and the nervous system. The latest statistics reveal that children ages 5 to19 are the most susceptible, with boys affected at a slightly higher rate.


Tick season generally runs from April through October. However, in areas with mild winter temperatures, the season could be year round.

Not all ticks are infectious. As a matter of fact, only two kinds of ticks transmit Lyme disease: In the eastern U.S. it's the deer tick (Ixodes scapularis) and in the west it's the Western black-legged tick (Ixodes pacificus). Ticks range from the size of the period at the end of this sentence to a small seed, but swell in size after sucking blood from an animal or human.

Mammals and birds are the primary carriers. Check for ticks on your pet around the head and neck, between toes, around ears, armpits and the groin area.

Seventy percent of bites happen in our own yards. Because they play outside so much, children are the most common victims. Ticks favor moist, wooded, overgrown areas and like to hang out near walls.
Symptoms of lyme disease

The most common symptom is a red-ringed rash that looks like a bull's-eye. It can be confused with poison ivy, spider or insect bites or ringworm. It appears about three days to a month after the bite. Occasionally, the rash appears as a red welt, blotch or series of blotches, or no rash at all.

In addition, be on the look out for flu-like symptoms especially during the summer months: joint pain, muscle aches, loss of appetite, fever, chills, fatigue, sore throat, headache, stiff neck.
Preventing tick bites

Tuck pant legs into socks and shirts into pants. If the weather is not too hot, dress the family in long sleeves.
Wear light colored clothing so ticks, which are black or partly dark red, can be spotted easily. Inspect your family's clothing when they come in from the out of doors.

Applying an insect repellent directly to clothing seems to be very effective. Inspect your child's body at least once a day, especially after he's been playing in the garden or woods.

Clear brush from around your premises and keep grassy areas mowed. When hiking, stay on cleared trails so you don't wind up in the middle of thick brush.

Don't allow children to play with animals in the wild.
Treatment

Call the doctor if symptoms appear seven to 14 days after a tick bite. Early detection is the best hope for a sure cure. Children are generally put on antibiotics, most often amoxicillin, for several weeks to a month. Lyme disease cannot be transferred from person to person.

Doreen Nagle is author of "But I Don't Feel Too Old To Be A Mommy" (HCI, $12.95). She welcomes your parenting tips and concerns at parentinginanutshell@joimail