The summer months bring a wave of new worries for parents. Making sure your child wears a helmet while riding his bike and applying sunscreen correctly on your daughter become high priorities. Another important summer health problem that you should look out for are ticks, which when infected, can spread Lyme disease to humans.
Lyme disease is an infection that can develop after a child gets a tick bite, which transmits bacteria that begins to spread throughout the body. Untreated, Lyme disease can last for weeks and cause a wide variety of symptoms, including fever, pain and arthritis.
The Division of Pediatric Infectious Disease at Tufts Medical Center is home to a comprehensive Lyme Disease Program for children. Our expert doctors assess patients compassionately for complex issues surrounding the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease.
Once we have determined that your child has Lyme disease, we’ll often recommended oral antibiotics to treat the disease and reduce symptoms. If oral antibiotics are unable to treat the infection, we may recommend that he or she receive antibiotics intravenously. In either case, our Infectious Disease specialists will be there for you and your family every step of the way to make sure that your child can get back to everyday life as soon as possible.
Our doctors will continue to monitor your child for complications of Lyme disease and will coordinate care from other specialists like pediatric rheumatologists and pediatric neurologists as necessary.
To make an appointment, please call 617-636-8100.
