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Tick, mosquito bites carry risk of illness

Wilson Daily Times - 6/4/2018

June 04--As the weather warms up, health officials say it's vital to protect yourself from mosquito and tick-borne illnesses. And the best way to prevent those diseases is to protect yourself by using insect repellent when outdoors for a long period of time and avoid wooded or brushy areas.

While mosquito and tick-borne diseases are diagnosed across the state and can be acquired at any time of the year, it usually happens from June to September, state officials said.

BY THE NUMBERS

Illnesses from mosquito, tick and flea bites have tripled in the United States, with more than 640,000 cases reported over a 13-year-period from 2004 to 2016, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Over that same 13-year-period, there were 968 disease cases in North Carolina from mosquitoes, which include locally transmitted and travel-associated cases, according to the CDC's report. Disease cases from ticks during that same time period for North Carolina came in at 9,075.

Nine new germs spread by mosquitoes and ticks were "discovered or introduced" into the United States during that time, according to the CDC's report.

Based on preliminary data, there were 896 cases of tick-borne diseases in North Carolina in 2017 and 95 cases of domestically acquired and travel-associated mosquito-borne diseases.

MOSQUITO BREEDING GROUNDS

The most commonly reported mosquito-borne illnesses that North Carolinians can get are the La Crosse and West Nile viruses and Eastern equine encephalitis. And there are several ways to prevent mosquito breeding grounds to protect yourself and family, including dumping out containers that hold water, officials say.

Joyce Wetherington, Wilson County Health Department public information officer, said mosquitoes can lay hundreds of eggs on the walls of water-filled containers.

"The eggs stick to containers like glue and remained attached until they're scrubbed off," she said.

When water covers the eggs, they hatch in a week and become adults, Wetherington said.

That's why it's important for folks to empty water-filled flowerpots, bird baths, dog bowls and anything that holds standing water. It's also important to clean those items thoroughly after you dump out the water, officials said.

Wetherington said when you know you will be outside, put on sunscreen first, followed by mosquito spray with DEET. Officials recommend you change your pets water every day, keep your grass cut and wear long sleeves or pants in the mornings and evenings. Wetherington said if you raise your windows, make sure the screens are mosquito-proof.

ZIKA VIRUS

State officials say nearly 70 percent of mosquito-borne infections reported in 2017 were acquired during travel outside the continental United States. That included nine cases of Zika virus infection.

To date, all reported cases of Zika in North Carolina have been associated with travel outside of the continental U.S., according to the state's health and human services division.

Zika virus is transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito, although cases of transmission through sexual contact and blood transfusion have also been reported. Symptoms can include rash, red eyes, fever and joint pain. Less-common symptoms include fever, joint pains and muscle aches. Only about one in five people infected with the Zika virus will show symptoms.

Health officials say a pregnant woman infected with the Zika virus can pass the virus to her unborn baby. A serious birth defect of the brain called microcephaly and other adverse pregnancy outcomes have been reported in some infants born to mothers who were infected with Zika while pregnant, state health officials said.

Wetherington said pregnant women who are traveling to areas prone to Zika this summer should talk to their doctors before they head out on a trip. They should also take precautions.

TICKS

Rocky Mountain spotted fever accounted for more than half of tick-borne diseases reported last year, according to state officials. Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Lyme disease and ehrlichiosis are all bacterial illnesses that can cause fever, headache and other flu-like symptoms via a tick bite. Officials say to reduce habitats for ticks on your property by mowing frequently and keeping your yard clear of old furniture and debris.

And if you find a tick attacked to your body, carefully remove it by grasping the tick with fine-tipped tweezers as close as possible to your skin and apply a steady, gentle pull until it releases, according to officials.

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(c)2018 The Wilson Daily Times (Wilson, N.C.)

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