Heat, wet hike chance of disease
The combination of warm weather, people getting outside to enjoy it, and rising insect populations brings an increased potential for insect-borne diseases.
But there are ways to lessen the chance of contracting one of these insect borne diseases — also called vector-borne diseases — and education will help identify if you’ve been affected. Early treatment often lessens how badly the disease affects you. “We encourage our residents to get outside and be active,” Dr. Unini Odama, health director for the Northwest Health District, said in a press release. “But we don’t want the fun to end with a disease that could have been prevented. With warm weather and summer travel rapidly approaching, we are vulnerable to diseases from both ticks and mosquitoes. Protecting ourselves from these threats is important.”
Ticks
There are several varieties of ticks in Northwest Georgia that carry bacteria which can be transmitted through a bite. Some of the general symptoms of infection by tick bite include: fever and chills, aches or joint pain, a rash in a “bull’s eye” or an ulcer at the bite site. Rashes may also appear on other parts of the body and can occur within hours or up to 30 days after the bite.
You can prevent tick-borne diseases by using insect repellent, avoiding getting off trails and roads, and checking your entire body for ticks as soon as possible after being outdoors.
Check children, gear and pets thoroughly. If you should find a tick attached to your skin, there’s no need to panic — the key is to remove the tick as soon as possible.
Mosquitoes
Overall, mosquito-borne illnesses in Georgia are rare, but they do occur. The greatest risk statewide is for West Nile virus, which can cause fever, headache, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea, rashes and in rare cases even death.
Although the Zika virus is currently not established in our local area, two major concerns are contracting the illness while traveling to an affected region of the world — and the risk to the unborn babies of pregnant women. The virus is known to cause birth defects such as microcephaly and also brain damage, seizures, or problems with vision and hearing.
To prevent mosquito bites, use insect repellent, wear clothing that covers as much skin as possible and eliminate standing water on your property. Even small containers can breed thousands of mosquitoes.
Parasites
While not a vector-borne disease, three intestinal parasites found locally are especially a concern this time of year: Giardia, Cryptosporidium and Cyclosporiasis.
Giardia may produce vomiting, chills, headache, or fever. Cryptosporidium — also known as crypto — can cause watery diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea and headaches. Watery diarrhea is the most common symptom of Cyclosporiasis.
These intestinal parasites can be prevented by avoiding getting untreated water in your mouth and nose while swimming as well as filtering or boiling untreated water. If you have symptoms of any of these vector-borne or parasitic diseases, check with your healthcare provider.