CLAY COUNTY, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — As the weather in the valley warms up more and more bugs are starting to come back out. These pesky insects can irritate and infect unsuspecting people and animals.
Health officials WTWO/WAWV spoke with said these insects can do a lot more than just bug you, they are also capable of causing harm to your overall health by spreading dangerous diseases.
“The three of those biggest being Alpha-Gal, Lime Disease is really taking a large number climb up and then we’re also seeing West Nile Virus later in the summertime but that could occur at any time,” said Carrico.
To avoid these diseases, Carrico said prevention is key.
“Depending on what you’re doing, it’s kind of a know-before-you-go. What kind of area, what kind of activities are you going to be doing, on how best to prepare. If you are out and you’re going to be hiking in any kind of wooded or grassy area, make sure you’re preventing from ticks. If you’re going to be out between dusk or dawn, that is the most active time for mosquitoes,” said Carrico.
If you do end up getting bit by one of these insects, Health Educator at the Sullivan County Health Department, Rose Shepler said, to stay aware of the bite and monitor it for nearly a month.
“Definitely go see your primary care physician if you are experiencing symptoms. If you have a tick bite, you’re going to want to monitor that for 30 days. If you have an unexplained rash or those flu-like symptoms you’re going to want to see your primary care physician,” said Shepler.
Shepler and Carrico both said to also monitor your kids as they start to run around and enjoy the fun outside.
“You want to watch your kids, just this past weekend I pulled a tick off my 6-year-old, so when you come in for the evening take a look, check everyone for ticks,” said Shepler.
“Making sure that you’re checking when they come inside every single time. If you have pets in the yard, you are still going to want to check your kids even if they haven’t been outside a lot because we don’t want a hitchhiker to latch on,” said Carrico.
Health officials also said the most common place to check for these insect bites are on the scalp, armpits and even between your toes as some ticks can be the size of the tip of a pencil.
If you want to know what diseases are most common in your area, Carrico recommends going to the Indiana Department of Health’s tick and mosquito dashboard.
