Part l: An update on zapping insects. May 1, 2018. The number of diseases caused by insects, mostly mosquitoes, has tripled in recent years, and children may be especially at risk, warns the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in a special report. No longer must you visit tropical rain forests or other faraway places to […]
Children/Travel/Hotels/Bedbugs
Good night, sleep tight. Don’t let the bedbugs bite. But if they do, then take your shoe and Hit them till they’re black and blue. – Old nursery rhyme (author unknown) Everything you want to know (or, perhaps, would rather not know) about your kid(s) and you being bitten by bedbugs while in hotels is […]
Lyme disease: The ticks are awaiting your children
The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that children who spend time in tick-inhabited parks, woods and forests be checked from head to toe for ticks embedded in their skin. Prompt removal of such insects prevents Lyme Disease. If you live in a particularly heavily infested area, check children after they spend time in […]
An Update: Applying mosquito repellents to young children is no fun and games – for parent or child
Applying repellents correctly is uncomfortable, messy, time consuming, expensive, and if not done correctly, can result in health issues. Prepare yourself for lots of frowns and complaints. Before reading this posting, you may want to go to our previous one of this two part series: Can you outsmart mosquitoes? Your kids health depends on it. […]
Can you outsmart insects? Your kids’ health depends on it.
Part l: An update on zapping mosquitoes You no longer have to visit the Amazon rain forest or equatorial Africa to pick up an exotic tropical disease. Nowadays, Zika, West Nile, Chikungunya, dengue and similar diseases can come to visit your family – at your home. Blame global warming. Believe it! Climate change has arrived! […]
Children/Insect repellents
With spring and summer just around the corner, it’s time to review how you protect your kids (and yourself) from mosquito bites. While most bites are merely annoying, there is a tiny percentage of mosquitoes that carry disease-causing viruses, a percentage that may be increasing slightly with the emergence of Zika, West Nile and other […]
Global warming/Disease carrying mosquitoes/Protecting children
Blame global warming and world travel for the hullabaloo about protecting your family from biting mosquitoes. 1. Mosquitoes love global warming. Higher temperatures allow them to multiply more rapidly and expand their habitat. It may also make them more robust and, in temperate climates, lengthen their breeding seasons – and their biting seasons. 2. Travel […]
Update: Zika virus/infants and children/travel
(Last week’s article is repeated at the end of this article. It may be helpful to read that article first.) February 11, 2016. To stay current with the latest on the Zika virus you’ll need to constantly process new and often conflicting reports peppered with words and phrases such as “possibly”, “apparently” and “the latest information […]
Zika virus/Infants and children/Travel to infected countries
Should families with infants and young children postpone travel to countries where the Zika virus is currently circulating? February 1, 2016. Travel with infants and young children to such areas appears to be safe. There are no restrictions. Presently both the US Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization recommend restricting travel only […]
Children/National parks/Health and safety
In national parks, your family’s health and safety are your responsibility. The National Park Service (NPS) has two missions: minimizing mishaps for visitors and maintaining a pristine wilderness. All large parks have experts to monitor safety conditions. But the wilderness, by its very nature, has inherent dangers with wild animals roaming free and “land in […]