Washington State Boy, 13, Suffers Paralysis From Tick Bite

A 13-year-old from Washington state awoke last Tuesday unable to get out of his bed, lift his leg or swallow, The Seattle Times is reporting.

Doctors determined shortly after that Daniel Smith, who had been playing basketball near his Normandy Park, Washington, home a few days earlier, was suffering from tick paralysis.

Doctors discovered the tick along his hairline at the nape of his neck.

Tick paralysis is relatively rare and goes away fairly quickly — usually within 24 hours — once the tick is removed, according to the report.

However, about 10 percent of victims die from respiratory paralysis if the tick is not removed in time. The condition is most common in Western states, the Rocky Mountains and Western Canada, Rebecca Baer, an epidemiologist for the Washington State Department of Health, told The Seattle Times.

Other symptoms of the illness include flulike symptoms such as muscle aches, nausea, joint pains, fatigue.

Daniel could stand with help about 6 ½ hours after the tick was removed. He was back in school on Thursday. Doctors believe Daniel's tick came from the Teanaway River area, near Cle Elum in Washington state, where the Smith family was camping with friends during Memorial Day weekend, according to the report.

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