Many of us are aware of tick-related infections such as Lyme disease because of celebrities such as Avril Lavigne and Real Wives star Yolanda Foster talking about their experience.
However, there are still lesser-known conditions resulting from blood-feeding ticks that any parent who takes their children camping, hiking or travelling abroad in the US should be aware of.
One US mum is warning parents to be aware of a serious side-effect of ticks after her daughter began acting out of sorts, and became unable to walk, recently.
Amanda Lewis, from Oregon, grew concerned when her young daughter, Evelyn, became unable to move normally one evening.
Writing on Facebook, Lewis described her symptoms: "Evelyn started acting a little weird last night around bed time. She didn't want to stand up after her bath to get into her pyjamas. I helped her and got her in bed. She was a little fussy last night, and I ended up sleeping in bed with her all night.
"This morning she was having a hard time standing. She could barely walk, or crawl, and could hardly use her arms."
Lewis and her husband, Lantz, took Evelyn to the ER as soon as possible, where a doctor was able to determine the cause of her behaviour within minutes. After combing her hair thoroughly, the hospital staff were able to find a tick in her hair and diagnosed her with tick paralysis.
The potentially fatal tick that afflicted Evelyn is called the American Dog Tick, as it latches onto canines as well.
The illness is caused by a neurotoxin - toxins dangerous to nerve tissue - produced in the tick's saliva. After prolonged attachment to the skin, the blood-fed tick transmits the toxin to its host. The toxin causes symptoms within two to seven days, beginning with weakness in both legs that progresses to paralysis. The paralysis ascends to the trunk, arms, and head within hours and may lead to respiratory failure and death.
Lewis spoke about her bewilderment over a creature of such a small size being able to make such an impact on human health. She said, "The ticks are out like crazy right now in this area, so if your children or dogs start acting a little off, check them thoroughly for ticks!
"I feel awful for not having seen the little bugger sooner, but I would never have even thought to look for a tick. It's crazy that a little bug can do this!"
“They'll bite humans all the time,” South Carolina doctor Jake Doukas told KGW News. “Anytime you're in the long grass or going for a walk with your kids, just take a look at their ankles, the back of their head, anywhere that’s hard to see.”
After her post went viral and racked up 54K likes, mum Amanda Lewis assured the public that Evelyn was doing just fine: "Evelyn is doing much better. It took her until the next morning to start acting like herself again. She is now pretty much completely back to her feisty little self. She complains a lot about her head itching, but otherwise she's just fine."
