A tick almost killed my son: Boy, 7, is put in coma after being bitten while on a hike in Arkansas – and is left with BRAIN damage

A boy in Arkansas was placed in a medically induced coma after being infected with a tickborne illness.

Aiden Debusk, 7, was on a Father’s Day hike with his family last summer when he was bitten by about five ticks.

This was common in their area, and Aiden’s mother, Laiken Debusk, removed the ticks as she normally would.

About 10 days later, Ms Debusk took her son to his pediatrician after he began experiencing cold-like symptoms. The doctor prescribed over-the-counter medications like Tylenol and Benadryl, Ms Debusk wrote on Facebook. 

However, just four days later, Ms Debusk awoke to find Aiden delusional and unable to move, only being able to cry out for help.  

Nine months later, Aiden has largely recovered, though he did suffer a traumatic brain injury (TBI). He now says he wants to be a leader one day

Aiden was suffering from ehrlichiosis, a potentially life-threatening disease caused by ticks infected with the bacteria Ehrlichia chaffeensis, E ewingii, or E muris eauclairensis. 

As he declined, doctors placed Aiden into a medically induced coma, where he remained for several days.  

Ehrlichiosis spreads through bites from infected ticks, particularly lone star and blacklegged ticks. While lone star ticks are most common in the south, blacklegged ticks are typically found in the northeast. 

Symptoms usually appear within one to two weeks after a tick bite, with mild signs starting in the first five days. 

According to the CDC, these include fever, chills, severe headache, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, confusion, and rash.

Because the symptoms closely resemble a cold or the flu, it can be difficult to catch ehrlichiosis early. 

If the condition is not quickly treated with antibiotics, it can lead to brain and nervous system inflammation, respiratory failure, uncontrolled bleeding, and organ failure. 

Left untreated, the condition can be fatal. 

While ehrichliosis is rare, cases are rising. In 2000, there were 200 reported cases in the US, but in 2019, there were 2,000. About one percent of cases are fatal. 

In the hospital, Aiden was also diagnosed with central nervous system (CNS)-hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), an extreme immune system reaction to an infection. These symptoms include fever, enlarged liver and spleen, and rash. 

Nine months later, Aiden has largely recovered from his illness, though he did suffer a traumatic brain injury (TBI) due to the infection reaching his brain. 

‘[It] definitely is a new way of life… he’s on five medications twice a day,’ Ms Debusk told local news station THV 11. 

‘They make him dizzy… make him lash out sometimes. They make him gain weight, but aside from all that, we are grateful and thankful he is still here.’

‘It’s beautiful. We still get to have a journey.’

Aiden and his family are now urging Americans to use bug spray to prevent ticks. 

Additionally, they recommend saving any ticks in a piece of clear tape to they can be tested for infections. 

‘Some are bad ticks, and some are not,’ Aiden, who said that he wants to be a leader one day, told THV 11. ‘Ask a grown-up or a doctor to get it off.’