Summer Safety: Ticks & mosquitoes

JACKSON, Tenn. — Ticks and mosquitoes carry all sorts of diseases.

“Sometimes you have to be careful. They usually hang out on bushes and shrubs and grasses, and they’ll just wait and latch on then,” said Shanna Shearon, an epidemiologist with the Jackson-Madison County Regional Health Department.

According to the CDC,  mosquitoes can carry West Nile Virus and the Zika virus, and you can get Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever from ticks.

“Anytime you think you had a tick or mosquito bite and you have any kind of rash, make sure you tell your doctor to check for vector-borne diseases,” Shearon said.

And the Jackson-Madison County Regional Health Department says they’re not just seeing the bugs during the summer.

“Lately we’ve been seeing them year-round, but they usually start in early spring all the way to late fall,” Shearon said.

Our furry friends are also not immune to the bites. “They’ll bring them in from outside, so make sure they’re not on them,” Shearon said.

Officials say the best way to keep the bugs away is to wear repellent or long sleeves, pants and boots.

Find more information from the CDC about ticks and the diseases they carry here. They also offer more information about mosquitoes and the diseases they carry here.