Insect Bites and Stings / Lyme Disease

When playing in the great wide wilderness, kids gain so much: exercise, a love of nature, a growing sense of awe and wonder, and, unfortunately, insect bites. Unlike animal bites that have a much higher risk of infection, insect bites usually do not become infected. We do expect redness and swelling around the area of the bite with itching (just a little to a lot).  Some people will have allergies to the insect venom in the bite or sting and will require higher levels of care with anti-allergy medications given emergently, but most of the time, applying a cold compress with some over-the-counter hydrocortisone-based itch cream a few times a day for a few days does the trick just fine. 

If your child is stung and you can see the stinger, use a credit card to scrape it out as quickly as possible and wash the affected area with soap and water. Then apply an ice pack to decrease the swelling and pain.  

There are some insects that can transmit very specific diseases. Luckily for us the PNW, we don’t have to worry about malaria. But if a family is traveling internationally to malaria-endemic areas, there should be a discussion with their pediatrician about which method of malaria prevention and/or prophylaxis makes sense for their kiddo. 

Tick bites are another thing that we don’t have to worry about all too much in the PNW (as the 2020 US Lyme Disease map from the Centers for Disease Control indicates below), but our friends on the East Coast are well-versed in hiking and camping in tick areas; tick checks of their kiddos after these outdoor adventures are a normal occurrence.

If you find that there is a tick attached to your kiddo, using tweezers, do your best to pull the whole insect off/out of the skin by grabbing as close to the tick’s head as possible and pulling it away from its attachment point. Then place the tick in a Ziploc bag and bring the kiddo and the tick to the pediatrician’s office to see if we should be concerned about any tick-related diseases such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever or Lyme disease, both of which are easily treated with antibiotics when recognized early or at first signs of their characteristic rashes. 

If you know that your kiddo is going to venture out into the wilderness, there are definitely things we can do to help prevent and limit unwanted advances from our insect friends. Applying insect repellant to an older kiddo’s skin (avoiding any cuts or abrasions) can definitely limit bugs from landing and biting. Most insect repellants use DEET which has a good safety profile if used in moderation. Natural options include oils of citronella and peppermint that can be diluted with vegetable oil and applied directly to clothing. Having Jenny and Jonny wear lighter-colored clothing with long sleeves and pants when the weather is appropriate can also limit bugs’ landing spaces on the kiddo.