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Ticks are rampant in the summer months. As temperatures rise, they begin to swarm, make their presence known, and look for people and animals to bite.
It’s especially important for parents to be aware of ticks and the dangers they pose
Ticks can be potentially very dangerous for children, especially because young ones tend to wander and end up in places where ticks live.
So before you let your children run outside this summer, read this story shared on Facebook as a warning from a mother in Ohio.
Beka Setzer went to social media to tell the story of what happened to her daughter last year.
Emmalee, who was just three years old at the time, was playing in front of her house.
When she returned for her usual afternoon nap, Setzer began to change the girl.
That’s when she noticed that scattered across her back and body were several strange little black dots that almost looked like dirt.
Setzer thought it was just dirt
She looked closer and was horrified to find that the dots looked like tiny bugs clinging to Emmalee’s skin.
That’s when she realized they were ticks — more than 150 of them all over her body.
The next 90 minutes were spent slowly picking and removing all the ticks from her daughter’s skin.
Setzer acted quickly. After removing all the child’s ticks, she put Emmalee in the tub and washed her several more times before giving her Benadryl.
She then moved on to wash all the bedding Emmalee had used to make sure they were gone.
In short, she took all the best steps necessary to keep her daughter safe and it worked — Emmalee was fine.
But because she’s seen more ticks this year, she decided that sharing this information on Facebook could potentially help other families and raise awareness about the dangers of ticks this year.
April through September
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ticks are active during the months of April through September.
To avoid tick bites, you and your children should avoid brushy or wooded areas, especially those with abundant leaf litter and tall grass.
That of course doesn’t mean you have to cancel your hikes — just stick to marked trails and don’t stray too far from them.
You should also use insect repellent on the skin and clothing of yourself and your family.
The best types for the best tick protection are those containing 20% or more picaridin, DEET, or IR3535.
When applying these repellents, avoid your children’s eyes, mouths and hands
If you need to remove any ticks that have attached to your child, take a pair of tweezers and grasp the tick’s body as close to the skin as possible.
Be patient, apply steady pressure and pull upward without tearing or twisting to detach them. You should then drop the tick into alcohol and clean the bite with water and soap.
Note that even smaller, immature ticks can be dangerous — especially because they have a higher risk of transmitting Lyme disease.
Stay safe this summer and stay vigilant!
