Continuing the theme of our previous post, pests can be an issue during the summer months as well. Two of the most common are Ticks and Mosquitos.
Lyme disease is an illness caused by bites from infected ticks. Most, but not all, victims will develop a bulls-eye rash. Other signs and symptoms may be non-specific and similar to flu symptoms such as fever, lymph node swelling, neck stiffness, generalized fatigue, headaches, migrating joint aches, or muscle aches. You are at increased risk if you work outdoors.
Here are a few tips to help protect you:
- Wear light-colored clothes to see ticks more easily.
- Wear long sleeves; tuck pant legs into socks or boots.
- Wear high boots or closed shoes that cover your feet completely.
- Wear a hat.
- Use tick repellants, but not on your face.
- Do a tick check before your shower after working outdoors. Wash and dry your work clothes at high temperature.
- Examine your body for ticks after work. Remove any attached ticks promptly.
- Do not use petroleum jelly, a hot match, or nail polish to remove the tick. Simply pull it out and then burn it in the sink.
West Nile illness from West Nile Virus is rare, but it does happen. Mild symptoms include fever, headache, and body aches, occasionally with a skin rash on the trunk of the body and swollen lymph glands. Symptoms of severe infection include headache, high fever, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, and paralysis. Getting rid of standing water in containers such as discarded tires, buckets, and barrels helps reduce mosquito breeding areas .
In addition, you can protect yourself from mosquito bites in these ways:
- Be extra vigilant at dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active.
- Apply insect repellant with DEET to exposed skin.
- Spray clothing with repellents containing DEET or permethrin.
- Wear long sleeves, long pants, and socks.