Tick paralysis: 5-year-old suddenly couldn't walk, had trouble speaking, mom says - USA Today

[Melanie]

Tick paralysis: 5-year-old suddenly couldn't walk, had trouble speaking, mom says

A Mississippi mother panicked when her 5-year-old daughter woke up unable to walk, and could barely speak. Then, she saw a tick on her head.

Jessica Griffin's daughter Kailyn was suffering from a rare disease known as tick paralysis, hospital staff told her last week.

"Scary is a understatement," Griffin said in a post on Facebook.

Tick paralysis is thought be caused by a toxin in tick saliva, according to the Centers for Disease and Control. The paralysis, which is often confused for a neurologic disorder, usually resolves within 24 hours after the tick is removed.

Thankfully, Kailyn "fully recovered" the next day, her mom said, and "hasn't slowed down since her feet hit that floor." The mom, who never heard of tick paralysis before, also left parents with a warning:

"Make sure you check those babies in every crease of their body!"

The CDC recommends checking your body for ticks after being outdoors. If you find an attached tick, grasp it with tweezers, as close to the skin as possible and pull it straight out.

 

[jeckylberry]

We have a paralysis tick in Australia. Many animals, especially dogs, die every year from it. Children can get wobbly symptoms from it too but they get better quickly. I was reading that some people are now developing some sort of meat and animal products allergy that causes anaphylactic reactions after exposure to paralysis tick bite.