Post Office Box 911, 549 North Race Street, Statesville, NC 28677, Phone 704-872-8931, Fax: 704-871-2834
Date ______
Dear Parent/Guardian:
Your child ______, had a tick removed from his/her ______
today. Please note this on your calendar.
While most ticks do not cause illness, Iredell County is a high risk area for having disease carrying ticks.
We do not anticipate a problem; however, the following information will help you to be more aware of illnesses associated with tick bites.
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever – sudden onset with moderate to high fever which can persist for 2-3 weeks, fatigue, deep muscle pain, severe headache, chills, and eye irritations. A rash may appear about the third day on the arms and legs and soon will include soles and palms and will spread quickly too much of the body. If you start having the above symptoms from 3-14 days after removing the tick, please see your doctor immediately.
Lyme Disease – is characterized by a distinctive skin lesion – red circular rash reaches about 2 inches in diameter, this rash may appear with multiple similar lesions. Other symptoms include fatigue, fever, headache, stiff neck, joint aches and pains, and enlarged lymph nodes lasting several weeks. This rash may occur from 3-32 days after tick exposure. However the early stages of the disease may be without symptoms. This is another reason to document on your calendar about this tick.
Prevention – wear light colored clothing covering legs and arms, tuck pants into socks and apply tick repellent to pant legs and sleeves; when outside search total body every 3-4 hours for ticks; remove ticks promptly with tweezers applied closest to the skin to avoid leaving mouth parts in the skin and alcohol; protect hands with gloves, cloth or tissue when removing ticks; detick dogs daily and use tick repellent collars and insecticide in dog house and dog lot.
Don’t hesitate to see your doctor if you notice these symptoms.