Prevention of mosquito bites reduces disease

Prevention of mosquito bites reduces disease
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This summer the Ohio Department of Health wants people to take precautions to prevent mosquito bites and the diseases they may carry.

                        

This summer the Ohio Department of Health wants people to take precautions to prevent mosquito bites and the diseases they may carry.

Most diseases in Ohio that are caused by the bite of infected mosquitoes happen between spring and fall because mosquitoes are most active during the warmer months. Ohio’s most common diseases caused by mosquito bites include West Nile virus and La Crosse virus. There were 65 West Nile virus cases including six deaths and 39 La Crosse virus cases reported in Ohio last year.

“If you are going to be spending time outside, you need to be thinking about prevention and protection,” ODH director Dr. Amy Acton said. “Taking simple precautions can prevent potentially serious diseases caused by the bite of an infected mosquito.”

Mosquitoes can live indoors and outdoors, and some types bite during the day while others bite at dusk and dawn.

Here are some tips to avoid mosquito bites:

Use EPA-registered repellents according to label instructions; wear long sleeves, long pants and long socks when outdoors; mosquitoes may bite through thin clothing, so spray clothes with an EPA-registered repellent to give extra protection; treat clothing and gear such as pants, boots, socks and tents with a product containing permethrin or buy permethrin-treated clothing or gear (do not apply permethrin directly to skin); mosquito-proof your home by installing or repairing screens on windows and doors to keep mosquitoes outside; and reduce the number of mosquitoes around your home by emptying standing water on a regular basis from flower pots, gutters, buckets, pool covers, pet water dishes, discarded tires and bird baths.

Acton also recommends for people who get sick after being bitten by a mosquito to contact their health-care provider, particularly if they have symptoms like a fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, joint pain, muscle aches, fatigue or a rash.

Additional information and resources are available on the ODH website at www.Ohio.gov/mosquito.


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