Unfortunately, too many of us tend to neglect the danger that tick bites pose. These parasitic insects can sometimes carry diseases that can seriously jeopardize an individual’s health, and the case of a 3-year-old boy from Pennsylvania is a good example, unfortunately.
According to the New York Post, the boy in question is Johnathan Simoson, and he was a healthy, happy, and energetic individual until he had to deal with the tick bite. The boy got severely sick with a dangerous and debilitating disease.
Johnathan was swimming in a pool when the tick was observed standing on his right shoulder. One of his parents explained as the New York Post quotes:
It was not embedded. It was not engorged. I easily removed it with a pair of tweezers, and it was still alive,
He didn’t necessarily have any marks on his back shoulder until a few days later; there was just a tiny red bump. That was it.
The child started developing symptoms about two weeks later, such as loss of appetite, a headache, lack of energy, and a fever.
At some point, the child got transferred to a specialty’s children hospital, and a coronary CT scan ruled out the possibilities of bleeding in the brain, abscess, or mass.
Pennsylvania toddler Jonny Simoson, contracts rare illness from tick bite https://t.co/H8Wx82Ebvr
— Mercysee (@Mercycees) July 30, 2022
One of the parents declared as the same source mentioned above reveals:
Things got really scary at that point,
It was so frustrating searching for an answer. We were terrified that we might not be coming home with our child.
Johnny spent a total of 12 days in the hospital until he got discharged. An MRI scan revealed that the child was dealing with meningoencephalitis, and he received medical treatment.
The child had to be taught how to do normal activities again, such as eating, drinking, and more. A few days after the child got out of the hospital, he tested positive for Powassan virus, meaning a dangerous tick-borne disease that’s also rare.
Ticks can be very cunning, as it’s difficult to see them, and they can even come crawling along after we enjoy a weekend at the picnic while lying down on the grass, for instance. Feel free to also read the “Easy Guide for What to Do If a Tick Bites You.“
