The story at a glance
- A Virginia family is still in shock after their 4-year-old daughter, Ruby, nearly died from a tick bite.
- She has mites on her scalp, whose saliva contains a neurotoxin that can cause problems, including making it difficult to get out of bed.
- The tick has been removed and Ruby is expected to make a full recovery.
Suffolk, Virginia (Wavy) — It’s that time of year when all kinds of insects are buzzing around, but even the tiniest creatures can cause harm.
A Virginia family is still in shock after their four-year-old daughter, Ruby, nearly died from a tick bite, and is warning other parents to be vigilant.
“It all happened so quickly, it seemed like a dream,” Ruby’s father, Brian Carr, said. “She lay motionless for two days before her condition began to slowly worsen.”
“She went from falling clumsily to not being able to turn her head from side to side,” said Ruby’s grandmother, Karen Carr.
A trip to the emergency room yielded a frightening diagnosis: tick paralysis.
“It’s very unusual in our area and it’s related to female ticks,” my grandmother said.
“The tick’s saliva contains a neurotoxin that causes paralysis,” said Ralph Northam, a former Virginia governor and now a pediatric neurologist at King’s Daughters Children’s Hospital in Norfolk.
Northam said the paralysis began in the legs and then spread throughout the body.
“Eventually, your child will no longer be able to walk or sit and will be largely bedbound,” Northam said.
by Centers for Disease Control and PreventionSymptoms can look similar to other neurological disorders, such as botulism, a type of food poisoning. Symptoms Symptoms of botulism include fatigue, weakness, dizziness, and difficulty speaking and swallowing. If left untreated, it can be fatal. California Department of Public Health.
There are over 40 types of ticks, and the American dog tick is one type of tick that can cause tick paralysis.
“I grew up in the woods,” Ruby’s father said, “and the animals were big and moving around normally, and then I’d turn around and an animal the size of a pea would try to knock my daughter over.”
The tick was attached to Ruby’s scalp.
“As soon as the tick is removed, as was the case with Ruby, the child’s symptoms begin to improve within a few hours,” Northam said.
According to the CDC, movement typically resumes within 24 hours after the tick is removed.
Northam said there are only two or three such cases per year in the area, and they can sometimes be misdiagnosed as other neurological conditions, which is why it’s best to seek medical help – and Ruby’s family is glad they did.
“If this little girl has one tick, that means there are many more,” her grandmother said.
Ruby is expected to make a full recovery.
