Summer Safety Tips from Southwestern Public Health

Thursday, 13 July 2023 07:08

Southwestern Public Health has some tips to make sure everyone has a safe and fun summer.

SWPH - With the kids out of school and the hot and humid temperatures upon us, it's safe to say the dog days of summer have arrived.

Southwestern Public Health has some safety tips to make sure everyone enjoys the next couple of months.

Program Manager for Environmental Health Amy Pavletic says you need to be mindful of the summer heat.

"To do what you can to protect yourself from the heat and also support protecting the people that are most vulnerable. This would include going indoors where there might be air conditioning, not being outside exposed to heat for prolonged periods of time and making sure you're hydrated."

She says you should also be cautious while doing strenuous activities in the heat such as hiking. Not only can it be hard on the body, but the ticks are also more active around this time of the year.

"We do recommend that you cover parts of your body that could be exposed to long grass. This includes wearing socks that cover part of your legs and making sure you're wearing covered shoes. Wear insect repellent that contains DEET and once you come in from the outdoors do a tick check."

Pavletic says you should be checking all parts of your body while conducting a tick check, adding a tick could end up on your upper body even if you are walking along a trail or another area without long grass.

If you do find a tick on your body, you should remove it as soon as possible. Pavletic recommends using tweezers, grabbing the tick as close to your skin as possible, and pulling it straight out. Once the tick is removed, you can bring it to the health unit to have it identified to see if it was carrying Lyme disease. In some cases, an infected tick might leave a rash that looks like a bullseye.

A tick must be attached to the body for at least 24 hours in order for it to transmit Lyme disease. If you start to experience flu-like symptoms such as a fever or body aches, Pavletic says you should visit your doctor.

If you're looking to have a beach day at some point this summer, Southwestern Public Health samples the water in areas such as Port Stanley or Port Burwell in order to assess the risk of bacterial contamination. These tests are conducted on a weekly basis and the results are posted online here.