Merritt father warns others after medical emergency involving his young son

A Merritt, B.C., father is warning others about the danger of tick bites  after a serious medical emergency involving his young son.

“Sheer panic,” is how Jamie Stevens describes the emotion he felt at the time.

The Merritt boy woke up last Thursday morning unable to walk.

“He was falling. His legs weren’t holding up his weight,” Stevens said. “Like he’d try to stand up and then he’d fall.”

Stevens says doctors at the local hospital couldn’t determine a cause and referred him to a pediatrician.

But when they got home, they discovered a large tick attached to the boy’s scalp.

“It was pretty horrifying to see,” Stevens said.  “I’ve never seen a tick, like an engorged tick before.”

Stevens believes the tick latched onto his son during a recent short hike they did in a grassy area on a bluff near their home.

While not common, experts say that certain tick species cause paralysis by releasing a neurotoxin into the bloodstream.

“Not all ticks, for example, can carry the bacteria that causes Lyme disease,” said Jade Savage, a full professor at Bishop’s University specializing in entomology.

“Different species can cause other problems, so tick paralysis, for example.”

While most tick species become active as soon as the snow melts, experts say outdoor enthusiasts need to be tick aware year-round.

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“In British Columbia, people should be aware of ticks 12 months out of the year because different species of ticks are active at a different time of the year,” Savage said. “However, most species are quite resistant to the cold.”

While tick bites can cause serious problems, there are ways to reduce the risks starting with knowing where ticks are usually lurking.

“If you remain on gravel paths, if you stay away from vegetation, if you stay away from tall herbs — from forest edges, for example — then the ticks don’t fall out of thin air,” Savage said.

“They have to be attached to plants. That’s where most of them are.  That is where they are waiting for you.”

Savage said another way to reduce the risk is by covering up with long sleeves and long pants and tucking socks into pant legs.

She added that using repellents, such as DEET, can also help.

But Savage said regular tick checks are key, especially in the hard-to-see spots such as the scalp, hairline and behind the ears.

“This is something that anyone that goes into any potential tick habitat should do every evening,” Savage said.

And whether using tweezers or a tick removal hook, Savage advises to never twist when pulling off an embedded tick.

“You might (break) the head off,” Savage said. “That can leave the head and the skin, which could be uncomfortable but sometimes it can also lead the tick to regurgitate into the skin.”

After discovering the tick on Milo’s scalp, the boy was brought back to hospital where Stevens says doctors used a topical type of cream to remove the insect.

He said after about 24 hours, his son was almost back to his normal self.

Despite the terrifying incident, Stevens says he and his children won’t stop hiking but he added that they will be even more vigilant checking for ticks.

“Oh, absolutely,” he said. “He has two siblings that live here, too, so we’ll all be doing it together.”