Here’s what you can do to stay healthy as the climate changes

Lots of people are talking about climate change and the things it can do to our health. But did you know that you can prepare for it — and stop it from ruining your summer?

Image credit // National Resource Defense Council

We love summer. Thanks to our summer safe tips, we’re prepared for the worst things and enjoy the best things, like playing outside, eating snow cones and building sandcastles.

But last year, the National Resource Defense Council shared a list of things they don’t like about summer, like heat waves, poor air quality and mosquitoes. Unfortunately, climate change makes all of those things worse. And that’s not healthy.

There is good news, though: We can protect ourselves.

If you live in a hot place, you can stay safe by doing a few things before and during a really hot day. Make sure you drink plenty of water, find somewhere with air conditioning and take cool showers to lower your body heat. Here are more suggestions from our heat wave fact sheet.

Photo credit // CDC / James Gathany

Hate being bit by mosquitoes? You can protect yourself by using bug spray, getting rid of water from that has collected in flower points or trash cans around your neighborhood and wearing clothing that fully covers your arms, legs and feet. Here are more things you can do to stay even safer from mosquito bites.

We’ve got tips to protect you no matter where you live. You can stay safe from hurricanes or floods, keep your food and water safe during an emergency, and protect yourself when you’re in a big crowd of people. Here’s a full page of facts you can use to stay safe and healthy in emergencies.

Now go have as much fun as you can this summer!

Summer Safe: Getting ready for Lyme disease

Summer is a great time to get outside and enjoy the warm weather. But the summer is also when there are the most ticks. Ticks are tiny insects that bite people and animals for their blood. Many can carry diseases. One of these diseases is Lyme disease. Lyme disease can cause serious symptoms, but with a few simple steps it’s easy to stay safe.

Image credit // CDC;
James Gathany

Lyme disease is most common in the Northeast and Midwest, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but cases have been reported in almost every state. The best way to avoid getting sick is to avoid tick bites. Ticks like to live in moist, long grass, so keep your yard cut short. If you’re in the woods, stay in the center of trails and avoid bushy areas.

Wearing light-colored clothing when going outside can make ticks more visible. Be sure to use EPA-approved insect repellent with at least 20-30 percent DEET. After you’re outdoors, make sure and do a tick check and shower.

If you do get bit, you should remove the tick quickly. Find a pair of tweezers and grab the tick firmly as close to the skin as possible. Don’t grab the body, as it could tear off and leave some of the tick inside your skin. Begin pulling straight out. Don’t jerk or twist the tick. Once it’s out, wash the bite with plenty of soap and water. Tell your doctor about it. If you can, save the tick and have it tested for Lyme disease.  If a piece breaks off and stays inside you, have it removed as soon as possible.

Removing a tick

Lyme disease causes a lot of different symptoms. It sometimes starts with a red bull’s eye rash around the bite. Then, it can cause fatigue, joint swelling and flu-like symptoms. Without treatment, Lyme disease can cause joint and nerve problems. Fortunately, Lyme disease can be treated with antibiotics when caught early. But the longer it takes to find out you have it, the harder it is to treat.

Just because there are ticks outside doesn’t mean you should stay indoors. A few simple steps can keep you safe. Get outside and enjoy the summer!

Pledge to be a force of nature

Are you a force of nature? The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration want to help you become one. That’s why they created National Severe Weather Preparedness Week. Held annually each spring, the week encourages people to help their family, friends and community prepare for severe weather.

While the week is over, the lessons it shares are good year-round. The campaign aims to get people to understand what to do before, during and after severe weather. There are three simple steps that anyone can do to get ready for weather events such as tornadoes, hurricanes and other dangerous storms:

1. Know your risk. Figure out which kinds of severe weather can happen where you live and work, so you can make a plan to get ready for these events.
2. Take the pledge. Be a force of nature by taking the Pledge to Prepare at Ready.gov.
3. Be an example. Once you take the pledge and start preparing, share your story with your family and friends. Tweet about it, write a Facebook post, make a YouTube video. By showing people that preparedness is something that anyone can do, you’ll inspire others to get ready, too!

We want to know how you plan to be a force of nature, so tell us what you do to prepare for severe weather in the comments below!

 

Summer Safe: Don’t let these three infectious diseases ruin your summer fun

Do your late summer plans include a trip to a state or county fair? How about a camping trip, or perhaps a visit to a local farm?

Reports of infectious diseases spread by animals and insects have been on the rise this summer. Here are three infectious diseases that have been in the news recently, along with tips for how you can protect yourself and your loved ones.

H3N2v, aka “swine flu,” from pigs

[Image courtesy
USDA/Scott Bauer]

In the last few weeks, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported new cases of a type of influenza, H3N2v, that comes from pigs. Most of the people who got sick with this new type of flu had direct contact with pigs on farms or at state and county fairs. If you work around pigs or if you will be attending a fair or farm show, follow these tips to protect yourself:

• Always wash your hands after touching animals.
• Don’t eat or drink if you’re in an animal enclosure, and keep your hands away from your face.
• If you have a weak immune system or are at high-risk for flu, stay away from pigs. This includes young children and adolescents, pregnant women, people who are already sick and people ages 65 and older.
• Stay away from any animal that looks sick or acts strange. Call a veterinarian if you suspect that an animal is sick.

For more information, check out CDC’s H3N2v page.

[Image courtesy
USDA/Keith Weller]

Salmonella from baby chickens
Live baby poultry such as ducklings and chickens are adorable — what kid can’t resist picking up one of these cute, fuzzy, chirping animals? Don’t let their cuteness fool you: These animals can pose a health risk, especially to young children. Baby poultry, found in petting zoos, fairs and even in classrooms or at home, have been known to spread salmonella.

This year alone, baby chickens have been linked to salmonella cases in states around the country. Here are some tips to prevent illness from salmonella:

• Don’t let children younger than age 5 touch or handle chicks or ducklings.
• Don’t bring chicks, ducklings or other live poultry into your house.
• Make sure anyone who handles baby poultry washes their hands thoroughly with soap and water. Adults should help young children wash their hands. For information about hand-washing for any age group, check out our collection of Get Ready fact sheets!

CDC has more information on salmonella and baby birds on its website.

West Nile virus from mosquitoes

[Mosquito image courtesy
CDC/ Frank Collins, PhD.]

So far this year, 42 states and the District of Columbia have reported West Nile infections in people, birds or mosquitoes. People get West Nile virus when they are bitten by mosquitoes that carry the disease. You can’t tell if a mosquito is infected just by looking at it, so the best protection is to prevent mosquito bites.

• When you go outdoors, use insect repellent — especially at dusk and dawn, when mosquitoes are most active.
• Wear long sleeves and pants when possible.
• Mosquitoes breed in still water, so remember to empty out barrels, flowerpots and buckets that are filled with water on your property or in your neighborhood. 
• Learn more about protecting yourself from mosquitoes by checking out our fact sheet (PDF).

You can learn more about West Nile virus from CDC.

Even though these infectious diseases are on the rise, protecting yourself can be as simple as washing your hands and wearing bug spray. We hope this helps you stay safe this summer!

Get Ready Mailbag: Do ticks spread babesisos? How do I protect myself?

Welcome to another installment of the Get Ready Mailbag, when we take time to answer questions sent our way by readers like you. Have a question you want answered? Send an email to getready@apha.org.

Q: My cousin was recently diagnosed with babesiosis, which her doctor said comes from ticks. I’ve never heard of it — am I at risk, too? How can I protect myself?

A: Your cousin’s doctor is right. The main way that people get babesiosis is from a tick bite.

The disease is spread by a parasite called Babesia which lives inside of certain types of ticks. These ticks are so small — about the size of a poppy seed — that you may not even know if you’ve been bitten.

[Photo: Young form of Ixodes scapularis, 
the type of tick that spreads Babesiosis.
Photo by G. Hickling,
University of Tennessee, courtesy CDC.]

Babesiosis can cause flu-like symptoms, such as fever, chills, headaches, body aches, tiredness, nausea and loss of appetite. Health professionals may suspect this illness if you live in the Northeast or upper Midwest and if these symptoms show up during the summer months. However, some people don’t show any symptoms at all, so preventing tick bites is the key! (http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/babesiosis/prevent.html)

To prevent tick bites:

• Hike on well-marked trails and stay out of bushes and long grass.
• Make sure to cover your skin with long pants and shirts.
• Apply bug spray.
• After walking through wooded areas or spending time outdoors, inspect your clothes and body for ticks.

The good news is that babesiosis is easy to treat once it is detected.

We hope your cousin recovers quickly and that you continue to stay safe!