To the editor:
Reduce the risk of contacting a virus from a mosquito bite:
•Apply insect repellent on uncovered skin areas and clothing using EPA-registered repellents.
•Wear clothing to cover arms and legs. Spray with repellent also.
•Stay inside at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active at feeding.
In your house:
•Screen all openings.
•Don’t leave standing water. Look in pots, cans, buckets, pool covers, stored tires.
•Clean out gutters.
•Clean pet bowls weekly or more often.
Tick avoidance:
•Wear a long-sleeved shirt and light-colored pants, shirt tucked in and pants tucked into socks when in grassy or wooded areas.
•Use a repellent like DEET or picaridin on skin and clothing.
•Check for ticks once you leave the area.
If a tick is attached to your skin, remove with tweezers, grasping as close to the skin as possible. Use a paper towel to put a barrier between the tick and your hand, so in case it releases fluid, you aren’t exposed to any bacteria from the tick body.
Ticks carry several diseases including Lyme disease, Spotted fever and Ehrlichiosis. All can be treated with antibiotics.
“Turkey ticks” are the small larvae form of the Lone Star tick. If you find these on your body, rub lice shampoo on these and again on your skin for the itching.
Jennifer Heller Rugenstein, Brown County Health Department
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