Author: R. Ellick

Nothing can spoil your summertime outside like the buzz of mosquitoes feeding on their favorite meal: you. 

Not only do mosquito bites itch like crazy, but they can also spread diseases to people and other mammals. The most common locally acquired mosquito-borne illness in Virginia is West Nile Virus. Other illnesses like malaria, Zika, dengue, and chikungunya are reported in Virginia each year, but are typically associated with travel. 

National Mosquito Control Awareness Week is observed this year from June 15-21. The goal is simple: to highlight the dangers that mosquitoes pose and the everyday things we can do in our daily lives to reduce those dangers. 

When thinking of mosquito control, just remember the three Ds: drain, dress, and defend. 

Drain: Many types of mosquitoes love standing water. Many mosquito problems around your home or neighborhood can be reduced by eliminating any standing water. These are just a few steps you can take: 

• Dispose of any old tires. Water can collect in tires and serve as the breeding grounds for thousands of mosquitoes. 

• Clear debris from your gutters. 

• Drill holes in the bottoms of any recycling containers. 

• Repair leaky outdoor faucets. 

• Change the water in bird baths at least once a week. 

• Store canoes or kayaks upside down. 

• Avoid water collecting on pool covers. 

• Plug any holes in tree trunks where water can collect. 

Dress: When you’re outside, wear light-colored, loose-fitting clothing. Studies have shown that many species of mosquitoes found in the U.S. are more attracted to dark clothing. Most mosquitoes can bite through tight-fitting clothing made with a loose weave. Also, when practical, wear long sleeves and pants to cover your skin. 

Defend: Choose a mosquito repellent that has been registered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Registered products have been reviewed, approved, and pose minimal risk for human safety when you use them according to label directions. Three popular repellents that have been approved for use are: 

• DEET (N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide), 

• Picaridin (KBR 3023), and 

• Oil of lemon eucalyptus (p-methane 3,8 diol, or PMD). 

If you’re using a repellent:  

• Read the directions carefully and always use repellants as directed.  

• Keep repellents away from the eyes, nostrils, and lips. 

• Avoid applying it to portions of a child’s hands likely to come into contact with their eyes or mouth. 

• Talk with your pediatrician if you have questions about the use of DEET in children. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) suggests that DEET-based repellents can be used on children as young as 2 months of age. 

• Use repellants even if you are pregnant or nursing. 

• Never use a repellent on wounds or irritated skin. 

• Use repellents sparingly and reapply as needed. Saturation with a repellent does not make it work better. 

The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) website provides information about mosquitoes and mosquito-borne illnesses. For more information about preventing mosquito bites, including a search tool for choosing the repellant that’s right for you and your family visit https://www.cdc.gov/mosquitoes/prevention/index.html 

Be smart when you’re outdoors. Don’t be a day’s meal for the swarms of mosquitoes buzzing around out there. 

Did you know that according to the National Safety Council (NSC), preventable injuries are a leading cause of death in the United States? The Virginia Department of Health joins the Council and other organizations around the country in shining a light on preventing injury.  

June is National Safety Month. Whether it’s preparing for summer fun or enjoying all other seasons, there are steps you can take to protect yourself and your family.  

• Bicycle and skate safety 

• Playground safety 

• Drowning prevention  

• Dog bite prevention 

• Fall prevention for children. 

• Choking and strangulation prevention for infants and toddlers 

• Poison prevention  

• Domestic violence prevention 

• Gun safety 

• Home fire safety 

For more information or additional resources, visit Injury and Violence Prevention. 

The 38th annual National Cancer Survivors Day was June 1. This year, the focus was on celebrating cancer survivors, raising awareness and inspiring hope for the future. According to the American Cancer Society, as of 2022, more than 432,500 cancer survivors live in Virginia.   

VDH is also highlighting the important role timely cancer screening can have on in improved outcomes among cancer survivors. Programs like Every Woman’s Life (EWL), offer life-saving services. EWL provides free breast and cervical cancer screening services to Virginia women who are uninsured or have low income.  

A person is considered a cancer survivor from the time of diagnosis through the rest of their life. However, after treatment has ended, cancer survivors may experience 

• long term physical and emotional side effects,  

• financial hardships,  

• increased risk for secondary cancers  

• other health problems as a result of their cancer diagnosis and treatment.    

There are a number of resources available to cancer survivors and their caretakers to help address needs they may experience during their survivorship journey.  

• CDC Cancer Survivors: https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/survivors/index.htm  

• National Cancer Institute: Cancer Survivorship: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/coping/survivorship  

• American Cancer Society: https://www.cancer.org/  

• Patient Advocate Foundation: https://www.patientadvocate.org/  

• Cancer LINC: https://cancerlinc.org/  

• ASK Childhood Cancer Foundation: https://www.askccf.org/  

To learn more, visit the Virginia Cancer Plan. 

May is National High Blood Pressure Education Month. High blood pressure is often called the silent killer. This is because it can have no symptoms but is the leading cause of heart disease and stroke. High blood pressure can also damage your kidneys, eyes, brain and the lining of your blood vessels.  

The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) encourages you to know your blood pressure numbers. The more you know, the better chance you have of protecting yourself and preventing: 

• Stroke 

• Heart attack 

• Cardiovascular or heart disease 

• Death 

Make sure to also adopt good health habits to keep your blood pressure under control: 

• Get regular check ups 

• Eat a balanced diet 

• Exercise regularly 

• Manage your stress 

• Regularly monitor your blood pressure 

• Learn more about high blood pressure. 

As we begin spending more time outdoors, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) encourages you to protect your skin. May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month. Too much exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light, can put you at risk for skin cancer. Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the United States. The good news is that it’s preventable.

To help prevent skin cancer:

• Wear sunscreen (SPF 15 or higher)
• Reapply every two hours or after swimming, sweating, or toweling off
• Wear protective clothing
• Wide-brimmed hats, sunglasses, (long sleeves and pants when possible)
• Spend time in the shade
• Avoid peak sunlight hours (10 a.m.-4 p.m.)
• Do regular skin self-exams

If you find something unusual on your skin, contact your health care provider. Finding skin cancer early improves the chances of it being treated successfully.

VDH offers a variety of resources and information about cancer. Learn more by visiting the VDH cancer resources page. For additional questions, please email cancer@vdh.virginia.gov.

Fight the Bite! 

How Lyme Disease Spreads 

• Forests
• Along the forest edge
• Shaded grassy areas
• Tall brush

Symptoms of Lyme Disease 

• Fever
• Chills
• Headache
• Joint or muscle pain
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Fatigue

• Severe headaches and neck stiffness
• Pain in the tendons, muscles, joints, and bones
• Rashes on other areas of the body
• Arthritis with severe joint pain and swelling, especially in the knees and other large joints
• Facial palsy with the facial muscles drooping on one side
• Nerve pain and shooting pains, numbness, or tingling in the hands and feet
• Irregular heartbeat, dizziness, and/or shortness of breath
• Inflammation of the brain and spinal cord

Protect Yourself from Ticks 

• Avoid contact with ticks. Avoid wooded and brushy areas with high grass and leaf litter. Walk in the center of trails when possible.
• When outside where ticks may be present: 
  • Use a Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered insect repellents containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus (OLE), para-menthane-diol (PMD), or 2-undecanone.
  • EPA’s helpful search tool can help you find the product that best suits your needs.
  • Always follow product instructions and do not use products containing OLE or PMD on children under 3 years old.
• Wear protective clothing like pants and long-sleeved shirts. Tuck socks into pants to prevent ticks from getting underneath clothes.
• If you’ve been outside, hiking or camping, it’s important to check yourself for ticks and remove any you find immediately.
  • Make sure to remove them in the correct way.
  • If you find a tick and are unsure how long it has been on your body, preserve the tick in rubbing alcohol or a plastic bag.
  • Keeping the tick can be helpful. If you develop symptoms, identifying the tick can help determine they type of treatment you may need.
  • VDH offers tick identification through the Virginia Tick Survey.

If You Have Symptoms 

• If you notice any of early symptoms of Lyme disease, consult with your healthcare provide as soon as possible.
• Getting treatment in the early stages of Lyme Disease can help prevent severe disease and any long-term effects.

Learn More 

Hepatitis Awareness Month is observed May each year. Hepatitis Testing Day is May 19 annually.  During this time, we work hard to shed light on how viral hepatitis impacts our communities.  We do this by:

1. Educating the public
2. Encouraging testing/screening for hepatitis
3. Discussing the importance of vaccinations for hepatitis

Viral Hepatitis Facts

1. There are several different viruses that can cause hepatitis.  The most common types are hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C.
2. Some hepatitis infections are short-term and clear on their own.  Others can become long-term and need ongoing medical care.
3. Long-term hepatitis B and C are leading causes of liver cancer in the U.S.
4. Both hepatitis A and B are preventable through safe and effective vaccines.
5. Hepatitis C can be cured with a prescribed treatment.
6. All adults up to age 60 should consider vaccination against hepatitis A and B.  Those 60+ should consider vaccination if they have certain risk factors.  If you are 60+ and do not have risk factors, talk to your healthcare provider about if vaccination may be beneficial or not.
7. Hepatitis A Vaccine Info
8. Hepatitis B Vaccine Info
9. More than 65% of people that have hepatitis B are unaware of their infection.
10. About 40% of people living with hepatitis C are unaware that they have it.
11. All adults should get tested for hepatitis B and hepatitis C at least once in their lifetime. Pregnant women should be tested for both during each pregnancy.  People with ongoing risk for HBV and/or HCV should test routinely for as long as risk persists.  Getting tested is the only way to know if you have hepatitis B or C.

What is Virginia Doing?

Virginia offers/funds multiple programs and services for viral hepatitis statewide.  These include:

1. Testing
2. Vaccination
3. Linkage to medical care
4. Treatment assistance for some vulnerable populations
5. And more

Genomic Surveillance Project

VDH has partnered with the Virginia Tech Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory to implement genomic surveillance of the Hepatitis C Virus (HCV). This partnership enables the detection and response to HCV transmission networks. This project has already detected HCV transmission networks spanning multiple jurisdictions. Detecting these networks allows VDH to:

1. strategically direct resources,
2. enhance prevention efforts, and
3. deploy targeted interventions where they are most needed.

Questions about Viral Hepatitis?

Learn more about viral hepatitis by visiting our website.  There you can also find sites near you that provide free or low-cost vaccinations or testing services.

For more information about viral hepatitis, call the Disease Prevention Hotline.  Reach a hotline operator toll-free at (800) 533-4148.

Celebrate Healthy & Safe Swimming Week with these Safety Tips

Summer is here! The best way to beat the heat is to chill in the water. Whether you are heading to the pool, the beach, the river or the lake, safety is key.

If you plan to be in or on the water, learn to swim. Knowing how to swim can reduce the risk of drowning.

Other ways to prevent drowning include:

• Provide adult supervision for all children in the water.
• Learn CPR.
• Always swim with a buddy. Never swim alone.
• Avoid swimming after dark.
• Watch for swimming hazards like rip currents and rough waters.
• Observe any advisories and listen to lifeguards.
• Wear U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets. “Floaties,” arm bands or water wings are not safety devices.

Germs may be in the places you swim and can be a threat to your summer fun.

Remember these tips to prevent illnesses when swimming:

• Do shower with soap and water BEFORE and AFTER swimming.
• Don’t swim if you are ill.
• Don’t swim or play in water if you or your child has been sick with diarrhea in the past two weeks. Diarrhea and swimming don’t mix!
• Do use swim diapers on infants and toddlers.
• Don’t swallow the water you swim in! A mouthful of water with germs can make you sick for 2-3 weeks.
• Do cover any open wounds or cuts. Don’t swim if your skin has cuts or open wounds.
• Don’t swim after rainfall. Heavy rain picks up anything it encounters including germs from overflowing sewage, polluted storm water, and runoff from land.
• Don’t swim in water with a foul or chemical odor or discolored water.
• Don’t swim near or touch dead or dying fish.
• Do check the water and the area around it before swimming. Avoid going in water if there is a green film on the water or if the water is cloudier than usual. Some harmful algal blooms can be dangerous.
• Don’t swim near piers, pipes, storm drains or livestock.
• Do properly dispose of waste. Boaters should safely dispose of boat waste at pump outs. Pet owners should pick up after their pets!

Visit swimhealthyva.com for more information on pool safety and open water and beach safety. Remember: swim safe, stay safe!