As things get warmer, insects and other pests start to become more active or prevalent.

Guthrie County Health Services Director Jotham Arber mentions that once this happens, there are certain illnesses and diseases that start to have rising case numbers. He says that a couple of the common ones are West Nile Virus, which is carried by mosquitoes, and Lyme Disease, which is carried by ticks. Arber tells Raccoon Valley Radio how individuals heading into the outdoors can try to protect themselves.

“The Environmental Protection Agency registers insect repellents, and we want to make sure that when we’re applying these, that we’re making sure that we’re looking at those labels so that we’re using them appropriately. So DEET would be a good example of an appropriate use of insect repellent, and we want to spray that before we go into the woods. That insect repellent covers both mosquitoes, which are vector borne parasites, as well as for ticks. So there’s multiple things that are covered there.”

Arber adds that wearing shirts with long sleeves and pants can help keep people from getting bit too much as well. But what happens if you don’t have insect repellent or forget to use it? Arber explains checking for ticks once you are out of the area you were exploring or walking through helps to limit the number that may get a chance to bite. He says if you find one that has bitten you and latched on, it’s important to make sure that you get the head off of you when you remove the insect. If the head is left in the bitten area, it can cause the wound to fester and become worse.

When it comes to mosquito bites, Arber says that people usually just apply an anti-itch cream, and that that’s fine, as long as nothing else happens. If the bite continues to itch, or starts to get bigger after time, then he recommends seeing a doctor. Arber explains that caution should be taken after any insect bite though, and that if you start to become unusually tired, nauseous, or develop a rash after being bitten, it is a good idea to seek medical attention.