Don’t Let Bites, Sunburns Ruin Your Summer

Summer is a great time to get out and enjoy the outdoors, but even with the best intentions, sometimes sunburn and bug bites happen.

Over the long term, too much exposure to those UV rays can cause more serious health problems, including skin cancer and eye problems.

And while getting a bug bite is usually just an annoyance, some bites can cause significant health problems, including West Nile virus, Lyme disease or Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control, Will County Health Department and DuPage County Health Department have some tips to help keep you safe this summer.

Protect yourself from the summer sun

Protection from sun exposure is important all year round, not just during the summer or at the beach. Ultraviolet (UV) rays can reach you on cloudy and hazy days, as well as bright and sunny days. UV rays also reflect off of surfaces like water, cement, sand and snow, according to the CDC.

The hours between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. are the most hazardous for UV exposure. UV rays are the greatest during the late spring and early summer in North America. The sun’s rays can damage skin in as little as 15 minutes, so apply sunscreen before you go outside, even on cloudy or cool days.

CDC recommends easy options for sun protection:

• Seek shade, especially during midday hours.
• Wear clothing to protect exposed skin, such as long-sleeved, loose-fitting shirts and pants made from tightly woven fabric.
• Wear a hat with a wide brim to shade the face, head, ears and neck. If you wear a baseball cap, protect your ears and neck by wearing clothing that covers those areas or sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15.
• Wear sunglasses that wrap around and block as close to 100% of both UVA and UVB rays as possible.
• Use sunscreen with sun protective factor (SPF) 15 or higher, and both UVA and UVB protection.

Bite back against bugs

The Will County Health Department advises taking the following precautions to protect yourself against mosquitoes:

• Avoid outdoor activity at dusk and near down, when mosquitoes are most active
• Wear light-colored, long-sleeved clothes
• Eliminate potential mosquito breeding sites on your property, especially areas with standing water
• Use insect repellent containing DEET or other chemical compounds that deter mosquitoes when spending time outdoors.

Tick bites can lead to Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Lyme disease. The health department offers safety tips to prevent tick bites as well as tips on what to do in the case of a tick bite.

• In locations where ticks may be common, apply permethrin tick repellent, but only to clothing and only according to the directions on the label.
• Tuck long pants into socks and boots. Wearing light-colored pants makes ticks easier to see. Wear a head covering or hat for added protection.
• In areas where there are ticks, check yourself, children and other family members every two to three hours for ticks.
• Remove any tick promptly. Do not try to burn the tick with a match or cover it with petroleum jelly or nail polish. Do not use bare hands. The best way to remove a tick is to grasp it with fine-point tweezers as close to the skin as possible and gently, but firmly, pull it straight out. Do not twist or jerk the tick. If tweezers are not available, grasp the tick with a piece of cloth or whatever can be used as a barrier between your fingers and the tick. Ticks can be safely disposed of by placing them in a container of soapy water or alcohol, sticking them to tape or flushing them down the toilet.
• Wash the bite area and your hands thoroughly with soap and water; apply an antiseptic to the bite site. If you experience a rash that looks like a bull's-eye, or a rash anywhere on the body or an unexplained illness accompanied by fever following a tick bite, consult your doctor.
• If you let pets outdoors, check them often for ticks. Ticks can “hitch a ride” on your pets, but fall off in your home before they feed.

If a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) to bites or stings occurred in the past it is important to carry an allergy kit that a doctor prescribes, according to the DuPage Health Department. If chest pains, difficulty breathing, severe bleeding or sudden weakness or numbness occur after a bug bite, call 911 immediately.

For more information visit the DuPage County Health Department’s website.