Protect Your Family This Summer
Although anyone can get Lyme disease, children spend a lot of time outdoors in the summer and are at particular risk. Reasons to suspect that your child may have Lyme disease include: your family lives in or has visited a region where Lyme disease is commonly found; you know or suspect that your child has been exposed to ticks; your child is experiencing symptoms such as rash, fever, chills, fatigue, joint or muscle pain, or facial paralysis. Children sometimes experience joint pain as their first, and possibly only, symptom of Lyme disease. If you suspect that your child may have Lyme disease, seek care promptly.
If the doctor thinks that your child has Lyme disease based on symptoms and possible exposure, your child will most likely receive antibiotics for two to four weeks. If your child’s symptoms are not clear-cut, the doctor may decide to have your child’s blood tested. Keep in mind that blood testing is more accurate the longer the child has been infected. A blood test for Lyme disease may not appear positive until two to three weeks after infection. Therefore, a doctor may order a later, second test if the first test was negative.
–Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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