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Home › Articles › Toddler Health › Nervous About Ticks?

Nervous About Ticks?

Keeping Young Explorers Safe Outdoors

By Laurie L. Dove

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As Kerry Bush's parents discovered, Rocky Mountain spotted fever is marked by symptoms of fever, rash and nausea. If left untreated, the disease can be fatal.

Seeing Spots
For Kerry Bush, a moment of summer fun resulted in months of symptoms. Three days after the ticks were found and removed, her mother, Karen Bush, made her first trip to the family pediatrician with Kerry in tow. "The tick bite on her back was still quite red and somewhat raised," Bush says.

Within a week, Kerry's low-grade fever suddenly spiked to 102 degrees and was accompanied by a sore throat. "Another doctor saw Kerry and thought it was strep throat, saying that the office had seen many cases of strep," Bush says. "The doctor discounted the research I had done on tick-borne illnesses and said she didn't think it was related to the tick bites."

Even after a strep throat culture came back negative, Bush says, the doctor said it was probably a virus and that Kerry would be fine in about a week. "Twenty-five days after the tick bites, Kerry began showing a mild, slightly bumpy rash on her lower arms and legs, which is a symptom of Rocky Mountain spotted fever," Bush says, citing the discovery that sent the family running to a medical specialist. Fortunately, a blood test showed Kerry did not have Rocky Mountain spotted fever as her parents suspected. In time, the troublesome rash that seemed to indicate serious illness subsided and left no lingering after-effects. Although the family was relieved, Kerry's parents are much mor cautious about their daughter's outdoor play.


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