Treatment for Tick Bites in Children

Ticks are small, parasitic insects that attach to the skin. The two primary types of ticks are deer ticks, which are about the size of a poppy or apple seed, and wood or dog ticks, which are about the size of a watermelon seed.

• Treatment for tick bites in children

Symptoms

• According to Dr. Barton D. Schmitt of the Seattle Children's Healthcare System, tick bites in children are usually painless and do not cause irritation or itching. Tick bites may go unnoticed for a few days until the tick has become swollen from feeding on blood. Ticks tend to fall off after three to six days of feeding on blood.

Removing a Tick

• Use tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible and pull upward without twisting or crushing the tick. Small ticks may need to be removed by scraping a credit card edge or with your fingernail.

Treatment

• Once the tick is removed, use rubbing alcohol to clean the tick bite. If the head is still intact, use a sterile needle to pull the head out. Contact your pediatrician if you are unable to remove the head completely. Use antibiotic ointment cream to treat the bite and prevent infection.

Misconceptions

• Dr. Schmitt warns parents not to treat ticks who are attached to a child by covering it with fingernail polish or petroleum jelly, which will not force the tick to let go of the skin. He also states that cold and/or hot objects placed on the tick for removal are also ineffective.

Warning

• Deer tick bites may transmit Lyme disease and wood or dog tick bites may transmit Colorado tick fever and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Dr. Schmitt states that there is only a 1.4 percent chance of developing Lyme disease from a deer tick bite in a high-risk area. He further states that most tick bites are harmless and the spread of disease from tick bites in children is rare.