Tick Bites 

Ticks are small spider-like creatures that live in grass, bushes, wooded areas, and along seashores. They attach their bodies onto a human or animal host and prefer hairy areas, such as the scalp, behind the ear, in the armpit and groin, and also between fingers and toes. Tick bites often happen at night and occur more in the spring and summer months.

If you find a tick on your child

Follow these steps:

• Do not touch the tick with your bare hand. If you do not have a pair of tweezers, take your child to your nearest healthcare facility where the tick can be removed safely.

• Use a pair of tweezers to remove the tick. Grab the tick firmly by its mouth or head as close to your child's skin as possible.

• Pull up slowly and steadily without twisting until it lets go. Do not squeeze the tick, and do not use petroleum jelly, solvents, knives, or a lit match to kill the tick.

• Save the tick and place it in a plastic container or bag so it can be tested for disease, if necessary.

• Wash the area of the bite well with soap and water and apply an antiseptic lotion or cream.

• Call your child's healthcare provider to find out about follow-up care.

No matter how careful you are about animals in your home, or how much care you take when your child is outdoors playing, insect bites are sometimes unavoidable.

By staying calm and knowing some basic first aid, you can help your child overcome both the fear and the stress of bites.