Are Boys More Susceptible To Lyme Disease Than Girls?

The tick population is on the rise and with that comes the risk of tick borne diseases. A recent report has revealed that an alarming number of children are infected with Lyme disease, in particular in Long Island, NY, and surprisingly, it seems that boys may be a little more at risk than girls. Could this be down to their tendency to play outdoors and within areas that may be more likely to be a tick habitat than girls would?  Here’s an article with more information.

Tick-borne diseases reach epidemic levels on Long Island, panel says

Tick-borne infections have reached epidemic proportions on Long Island, where children are disproportionately affected by Lyme disease and other infections transmitted by the eight-legged creatures, a panel of top scientists said Thursday.  “Lyme disease is mostly a disease of children and curiously mostly a disease of boys,” Jorge Benach said at Thursday’s symposium at Stony Brook University School of Medicine.

Of course, there’s no stopping outdoor play time for kids. However, it’s important that parents know the danger of Lyme disease and how they can keep their children protected from ticks.

Time spent outdoors has many benefits for children, so wrapping them up in cotton wool and keeping them indoors because of the concern about tick bites could possibly do more harm than good. Instead, educate your child about ticks. Advise them to be on the look out, and when they return indoors, make sure you do a thorough check to ensure there are no ticks on their body.

Researchers warn kids don’t get enough outdoor playtime

Playing outside might be one of the fondest childhood memories for most adults, but researchers now say that they’re not carrying on the tradition for their kids. According to a new study published in the April 2 Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine, parents just aren’t taking their kids, especially young girls, outdoors to participate in physical activities.

Do you know the symptoms of Lyme disease? Are you aware of what action to take if you believe your child may have been bitten by a tick and is showing signs of infection? Can you remove a tick safely? These are all things to consider and educate yourselves, not only as parents, but as a means to protect yourself from these disease spreading pests too.