Summer Insect/Tick Advice
Happy summer! The sun is back, the leaves are out … it’s delightful out there! Unfortunately, our insects have also returned. Kids are getting more mosquito, black fly and tick bites.
Little kids have often not experienced a lot of insect bites - which means their bodies create a large local inflammatory response - to even ‘routine’ bites. It’s not uncommon to see golf-ball or baseball-ball sized swelling on a toddler or preschooler in response to an insect bite. Ice - if they’ll allow - and antihistamines help to reduce itching and irritation. We try to prevent bites with appropriate clothing and insect repellants. The University of Maine has a nice fact sheet on choices of insect repellant for different situations (and ages); it can be accessed at: https://extension.umaine.edu/ipm/ipddl/publications/5108e/.
In the Midcoast, we often worry about tickborne illness. According to the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Lab, we have three common types of ticks in our area, two of whom feed more commonly on humans: the American dog tick and the black-legged (or deer) tick. Deer ticks can carry and transmit diseases, including: Lyme, babesiosis, anaplasmosis and - more rarely, Borrelia miyamotoi and Powassan virus. Deer ticks live for two years, feeding on different species (mice & chipmunks, then mid-size mammals, then deer) at different stages of their life cycles. All stages will feed on pets and humans if the opportunity presents itself. If they attach to humans and feed for a prolonged period of time (more than 24-36 hrs), there is a risk that they will transmit any diseases they might be carrying.
Deer tick larvae hatch in the spring and then can acquire diseases from small mammal or rodent hosts they feed on after hatching. Nymph tick numbers peak in the mid-summer, generally June or early July. Adult deer ticks have two peaks of activity: one in April or May and one in late October. Even adult deer ticks are small; nymph deer ticks are truly tiny, quite difficult to spot!
It is important to do thorough tick checks after higher risk activities - such as walking in the woods - and routine nightly checks on children in our area, especially during the high risk seasons. Ticks that are removed from their host within 24-36 hrs have not had enough time attached to their host to transmit disease. Wearing protective clothing - and using effective insect repellents - helps with preventing tick bites.
Unfortunately, despite meticulous prevention, it is still quite common in our area to experience a tick bite. If a tick is found on a child, remove it gently and wash the area. Examine the tick to see if it was engorged (implies longer attachment time) and attempt to identify the type of tick (online ID gallery & information from UMaine at:https://extension.umaine.edu/ticks/maine-ticks/). Dog ticks do not transmit Lyme disease to humans, only deer ticks.
Call your pediatrician to discuss any high risk deer tick bites in your kids - or to report any symptoms consistent with a tick borne illness: unexplained fevers, unusual fatigue, characteristic rashes, joint swelling, headaches or facial palsies. Lyme disease, anaplasmosis and babesiosis are very treatable illnesses!
Don’t let the insects ruin the outdoors for you, though … with proper prevention, tick and mosquito-borne illnesses are very manageable risks … and it’s still lovely out there!!
Adda Winkes, MD