Mum Jessica DeLoach is going viral for a TikTok video that details how she noticed something in her two-year-old daughter’s ear while giving her a bath last month.
“It seriously looked like she had shoved some food in her ear,” she told People.
DeLoach contacted her daughter’s paediatrician, who suggested bringing the child in for an exam.
“The removal process was very traumatising as you have to hold the child still to remove items safely,” she said. “A two-year-old just doesn’t understand what the doctor is trying to do.”
The doctor eventually discovered two ticks in the girl’s ear – which surprised DeLoach.
“I had no idea it was a tick until the doctor started removing it from her ear,” she said. On her TikTok, DeLoach said her daughter had been outside while she was doing garden work the day before.
“I’m just glad she didn’t have any after effects,” DeLoach told People about her daughter.
She made the video to raise awareness about ticks to other parents before summer tick season really begins.
“Other parents have told me about similar experiences, even ticks crawling onto their child off of their dog. I’ve learned it happens more than I could have ever imagined,” she said.
Parents have reason to be concerned.
Lyme disease, a tick-borne illness, is on the rise in the US as well as babesiosis, a disease that can cause flulike symptoms or more severe illness.
To avoid ticks, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends avoiding wooded and brushy areas with high grass when possible, and thoroughly checking clothing, gear and pets after time outside.