12-year-old suffers from unknown infection after tick bite

A Manitoba mother is warning families about the risk of wood ticks after her 12-year-old son suffered an infection.

Logan Ferguson was playing outside his family farm near Portage la Prairie, Man., late last month when he encountered the arachnid.

“I felt something on my back, so I pulled it off and it was a tick,” the 12-year-old told CTV News Winnipeg. “So I just killed it and threw it away.”

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A few days later Ferguson said he started feeling sick; his muscles were sore and he experienced fatigue and headaches.

“He said it hurt to roll over, his spine was hurting and his muscles were really sore,” said mom Nicole. She took Logan to the hospital and he was given antibiotics for possible exposure to Lyme disease.

According to the CDC, patients who are treated with appropriate antibiotics in the early stages of Lyme disease generally experience a swift recovery.

In Logan’s case, doctors also confirmed the presence of an infection — although they aren’t sure what type of infection it is.

“With wood ticks there is a wide variety, which I did not know about,” Nicole added. The concerned mom is now encouraging people to examine themselves for ticks this season after they’ve been outside.

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There are more than 800 species of ticks throughout the world — they are tiny, about the size of a sesame seed, and generally live in wooded areas. Lyme disease bacterium can be spread through the bite of infected ticks, particularly black-legged ticks.

Ticks that transmit Lyme disease can also pass on other tick-borne illnesses. Symptoms to look out for include fatigue, headache, fever, joint paint and a skin rash — the rash may look like a bullseye, but it might not even appear in the area of the bite. Symptoms can occur within days or weeks after being bitten.

If you’re spending time in an area where ticks dwell, experts suggest using insect repellent that contains DEET on uncovered skin and on your clothing, walk on cleared trails (if possible) and to check the scalp, clothing and folds of skin for the presence of ticks after leaving wooded areas.

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