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Dallas, TX – It was ten o’clock in the morning, and Leslie Fielding was beginning to wonder why her daughter had not yet made an appearance. The rambunctious four year old would usually have been running around since six o’clock, and what at first had been a welcome break was starting to concern her mother.

Leslie’s worry was increased exponentially when wailing broke out from Emily’s room upstairs. She ran up to ask what was wrong. Emily replied that she couldn’t move her legs. After checking several times to make sure this was true, Leslie phoned the paramedics. In the emergency room, it was found that Emily had received tickbite, and was exhibiting one of the earlier signs of Lyme disease.

Tick bites are the North American equivalent of mosquito bites in Africa. While the majority of tick bites don’t result in serious problems, there are some serious dangers. They include the aforementioned Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and encephalitis as well as the less serious deer tick bite symptoms such as rash and swelling.

As Emily’s story indicates, almost anyone is at risk for tickbite. Emily stayed close to her house in a suburban neighborhood, but that suburb was surrounded by forest. In addition, the family owned a dog which frequently took walks with its owner in those woods. A tick could have hitched a ride on the dog and ended up biting Emily.

Several species of disease carrying ticks are found in the United States, and unless there is a good pest control prevention plan in place, almost anyone is at risk for tickbite.

Adults can usually detect tickbite long before the more serious of deer tick bite symptoms begin to manifest themselves. Those who are out in the woods should examine themselves carefully when they arrive home, particularly in areas covered by hair.

Children are trickier, because they may not know they have been bitten until they begin to exhibit tick bite symptoms. Parents need to vigilantly check their kids when they come into the house, unless of course the local pest control companies have been used to eradicate ticks from the area.

Humans are not the only creatures at risk of complications arising from tickbite. Tick bites on dogs can be just as serious, and as with children they can be a lot harder to detect. If you take your dog out on walks in less developed, wild areas, you need to be sure to comb him thoroughly once you get home. Even parks and other groomed locations may be the home of dog ticks, and you can’t be too careful. Like children, animals won’t be able to tell you they have been bitten by a tick and the soonest you will know are when the tick bite symptoms begin to be seen.

The best way to prevent tickbite in the groups most at risk is through the prevention of ticks. Only professionals are qualified to carry out such an intricate plan, so make sure your city has a tick prevention plan in place!