Mother's life-saving Lyme disease warning goes viral on Facebook

One mother's warning has gone viral after spotting a rash on her baby's foot, that turned out to be Lyme disease.

Mum to little Paisley, Mandy Osmack posted snaps of her daughter's leg with a message to other parents, warning them of the dangers of leaving Lyme disease untreated.

Her post, which quickly went viral, was originally shared in June of last year but has continued to snowball across social media with other concerned and vigilant parents spreading Mandy's words of warning.

[Facebook]https://www.facebook.com/mandy.osmack/posts/10155618519225198?pnref=story [/facebook]Along with two photos of the bullseye like rash on Paisley's leg Mandy wrote the following:

'PLEASE READ- I noticed this weird mark/bump on Paisleys leg this morning. Even though I just assumed it was a mosquito bite, I called her doctor just to be sure. As soon as I described it as looking like a "bullseye" she told me to bring Pais in asap. Sure enough it is lyme. Thankfully we caught it super early and with some antibiotics Paisley will be perfectly fine! But if we would have left it, she could have been affected by it for the rest of her life. Please, everyone check your kiddies every day. And call your doctor if you have the slightest worry or concern, I am sure glad I did.' [sic]

Lyms disease is a bacterial infection spread by ticks, so can easily be picked up in the countryside or while playing outdoors. Not all tick bites will result in the disease but it's well worth being aware of the symptoms, just in case.

The distinctive rash doesn't always appear either, with some people never developing it. Other side affects can be flu-like symptoms, muscle pain or a high temperature.

One of Mandy's followers also warned against ignoring the lesser-known symptoms of Lyme disease. Facebook user Samantha Bergen said, 'Gonna share this too. I know a bunch of people who know about Lyme desease but there still could be others who dont. I'm glad shes gonna be okay smile emoticon Marina never got a bullseye mark where she got bit by a tick tho so I guess it doesn't happen to everyone unsure emoticon' [sic].

This isn't the first warning of its kind to be picked up by a huge number of social media users. Karen McGregor shared the following post back in June too, explaining how early diagnosis potentially saved her one-year-old son's life.

[Facebook] https://www.facebook.com/karen.mcgregor.12/posts/10153426757498934:0 [/Facebook]

If you're worried your child might have Lyme disease then have a look at our guide to the signs, symptoms and treatment (including how to remove a tick!) or visit NHS.UK.