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· CALENDAR
WIC Checks: 3, 6
WIC Recerts: 9, 10, 13, 17, 23, 24, 30, 31
Immunizations: 11, 16
Family Planning: 5, 18, 19, 26
Willow Clinic: 2
M View Clinic: 25
Cholesterol Screenings: 3, 24
Holiday’s: 4th-Independence Day-Closed
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Summer Defense against Ticks and Mosquito’s
The Howell County Health Dept would like to encourage everyone to take steps to help prevent tick and mosquito bites that can cause disease. A child in Northeast Missouri recently became ill and died after being bitten by a tick. Tests performed indicated the child was infected with ehrlichiosis, one of many tick borne illnesses. Knowing the signs and symptoms and taking steps to prevent tick and mosquito bites can be your best defense this summer.
Signs and Symptoms:
Ø Tick borne illness (Lyme-like, Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and tularemia)-if you experience a sudden fever, headache, achy muscles, nauseas, vomiting, rash or general feeling of discomfort see your physician.
Ø Mosquito borne illness (West Nile)-most people do not have any symptoms at all. A few will have mild symptoms such as fever, headache, body aches, nausea, vomiting, swollen lymph nodes and sometimes a body rash.
Prevention:
Ticks:
Ø Avoiding areas with lots of ticks – walk in the center of trails to avoid overhanging grass and brush.
Ø Keeping ticks off your skin – apply a repellent that contains 20 percent or more DEET and read the label to make sure you are using it correctly. Wearing light-colored clothing that makes ticks easier to see and tucking your pants into your socks also can help.
Ø Performing tick checks – remove ticks from your clothes before going inside, disposing of them in a sealed plastic bag or other container. Check your body and your child’s body for ticks after being outdoors, even in your own yard. Wash your hands and the bite site with soap and water after removing the tick.
Mosquito’s:
Ø Avoid Mosquito Bites-many mosquito’s bite between dust and dawn, if you have to be outside at this time wear protective clothing like long sleeve shirts and long pants. Use and insect repellent that contains deet and follow the directions for application.
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How to choose an insect repellent with the right amount of Deet or Picaridin? The CDC has come out with these guidelines.
For mosquito’s choose the repellent for the length of time you’ll be outdoors.
1-2 Hours: <10% DEET or Picaridin
2-4 Hours: 15% DEET or Picaridin
5-8 Hours: 20-50% DEET
For ticks a repellent with 20-50% DEET is recommended. The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended that repellents containing up to 30% DEET can be used on children over 2 months of age.
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Ø Mosquito-Proof Your Home-Eliminate standing water where mosquito’s can breed. Check your screens on windows and doors to make sure there are no holes for mosquito’s to get in.
Ø Help Your Community-If you have a dead bird, do not handle it with your bare hands, use gloves or a bag to pick it up. Dispose of the bird by double bagging it before throwing it away. The state health department is not testing dead birds this year for the West Nile virus.
So far this year the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services have seen an increase in the number of reports of tick-borne diseases. The Howell County Health Department has had normal activity for this time of year, and wants everyone to know tick-borne diseases can be effectively treated with appropriate antibiotics when caught in the early stages.
For more information about tick-borne diseases prevention, visit http://www.dhss.mo.gov/TicksCarryDisease/ or http://www.cdc.gov
ü Use caution when removing ticks from your body.
ü Grasp the tick with tweezers as near to your skin as possible.
ü Pull the tick from your skin with steady pressure, rather than twisting or jerking.
ü Wash your hands and the bite site with soap and water after removing the tick.
ü After the tick is removed, watch for complications.
ü If the tick’s mouth breaks off in your skin, complications may develop.
ü Watch for symptoms such as a sudden onset of fever, muscle pain or headache followed by a rash.
ü Store the tick in a sealed freezer bag labeled with the date of the bite for 2-3 weeks in case complications do develop.
1. AVOID TICK INFESTED AREAS! Walk in the center of trails to avoid overhanging grass and brush.
2. DRESS PROPERLY! Wear light-colored clothing and tuck pants into socks.
3. APPLY INSECT REPELLENT! See left column for more information on insect repellents.
4. DO TICK CHECKS! Examine clothing and skin frequently for ticks. Examine pets for ticks.
5. CAREFULLY REMOVE ATTACHED TICKS IMMEDIATELY! Ticks can infect in four hours or less. |
