RI DEM Urges Residents to Protect Against Mosquito & Tick Bites

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Saturday, June 23, 2018

GoLocalProv News Team

RI DEM offers protection tips for mosquitos and ticks

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) is urging residents to guard against mosquito and tick bites this summer.

This comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the number of cases of diseases that are transmitted by ticks, mosquitoes, and other insects more than tripled nationally between 2004 and 2016 (27,388 cases in 2004, versus 96,075 in 2016).

“Part of DEM’s core mission is encouraging people to get outside and enjoy Rhode Island’s magnificent parks, beaches, and recreational opportunities, but we realize that this comes with the risk of exposure to mosquitoes, ticks, and other biting insects. Fortunately, there are many common-sense ways that Rhode Islanders can protect themselves by preventing bites. With our colleagues at the Department of Health, we’re glad to offer these tips to have a safe summer,” said DEM Director Janet Coit.

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RI DEM offers the following advice for protection against mosquitoes and ticks:

Mosquitoes

Remove anything around your house and yard that collects water; just one cup of water can produce hundreds of mosquitoes.
Clean gutters and downspouts to ensure proper drainage, and repair holes in window screens.
Remove any water from unused swimming pools, wading pools, boats, planters, trash and recycling bins, tires, and anything else that collects water, and cover them.
Change the water in birdbaths at least two times a week, and rinse out birdbaths once a week.
Use EPA-approved bug spray with one of the following active ingredients: DEET (20-30% strength), picaridin, IR3535, and oil of lemon eucalyptus or para-menthane-diol.
Minimize outdoor activity at dawn and at dusk when mosquitoes are most active.
Put insect netting over strollers and playpens.
Wear long sleeves and long pants whenever possible, particularly if you are outdoors during dawn and dusk.

Horses are particularly susceptible to WNV and EEE. Horse owners are advised to vaccinate their animals early in the season and practice the following:

Remove or cover areas where standing water can collect.
Avoid putting animals outside at dawn, dusk, or during the night when mosquitoes are most active.
Insect-proof facilities where possible and use approved repellants frequently.
Monitor animals for symptoms of fever and/or neurological signs (such as stumbling, moodiness, loss of appetite) and report all suspicious cases to a veterinarian immediately. If you are unsure if your horse is properly vaccinated you should consult with your veterinarian.

Ticks

Repel: Wear long pants and long-sleeve shirts when outdoors. Wear light-colored clothing. Tuck pants into socks so that ticks do not crawl under clothing.
Consider wearing tick-repellant clothing treated with permethrin when going outside in tick habitat and treating your yard with tick-killing insecticides.
Use EPA-approved bug spray with one of the following active ingredients: DEET (20-30% strength), picaridin, IR3535, and oil of lemon eucalyptus or para-menthane-diol.
Check yourself and your family daily for ticks, especially if you spend a lot of time outside in grassy or wooded areas. Don't forget to check your pets, too, and use products that rapidly kill or repel ticks on pets. Deer ticks, the kind that carry Lyme disease, are often small (poppy seed-sized) in their nymphal (immature) stage.
Remove: If you find a tick, properly remove it with tweezers. Tick removal within 24 hours of attachment can prevent Lyme transmission.

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