What’s Going Around: Strep, pink eye, tick bites

This week, the providers at UPMC Children’s Community Pediatrics in York and Spring Grove continue to see pink eye, viral illness with high fevers and strep throat.

This week, pediatricians at Penn State Health Children’s Hospital are seeing colds, strep throat, allergies, some stomach bugs and some respiratory infections.

WellSpan Pediatric Medicine Physicians across the Midstate are seeing asthma attacks, seasonal allergies and pink eye.

Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health Physicians Roseville Pediatrics reports a lot of enterovirus, strep throat and seasonal allergies. There was also an increase in tick bites.

Dr. Joan Thode offered the following advice on ticks:

“Ticks are plentiful in the area and live primarily in grass. For a tick to transmit Lyme disease, it needs to be attached to a human host for 36 to 48 hours. If it gets found and removed prior to this time, it will not have transmitted Lyme. That is why it is so important to do tick checks and remove ticks quickly.

The best way to remove a tick is to use sharp tweezers and grip the tick at the base of the head. Lift straight up with a decent amount of force to remove it from the skin. This can be done at home, though if you are unable to remove the tick or are concerned, you can have the tick removed at your child’s health provider.

If an engorged tick is found on your child, contact your provider’s office, as there is now a new protocol with prophylaxis in any age with a dose of doxycycline. Evaluation in the office is important, as an exam and more thorough history will help your child’s pediatrician decide the best prophylaxis vs. treatment protocol to follow.”

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