How To Stay Healthy This Summer

For those headed to cottage country this long weekend, there’s a lot to pack besides a bathing suit and a book.

Aside from the obvious skin cancer risks associated with getting a sunburn, we’re now into peak season for mosquitoes and West Nile virus.

Here are some things you can do to make sure you stay healthy and bug bite-free this weekend.

How to protect yourself from West Nile

Symptoms:

Here are the symptoms of the West Nile virus. But remember that these may be early symptoms of the virus, or of many other illnesses, so seek medical attention to find out the cause.

• Fever
• Muscle weakness
• Stiff neck
• Confusion
• Severe headache
• Sudden sensitivity to light.
• Extreme swelling or infection at the site of the mosquito bite is another reason to seek medical attention.

Protect yourself and your family from the virus by:

Covering up

Mosquitoes are most active between dusk and dawn. When outside during this time, cover up. Mosquitoes are attracted to darker, more intense colours so make sure you wear light-coloured clothing, including long-sleeved shirts or jackets, long pants and tuck pants into socks for extra protection.

Using insect repellent

Use only those insect repellents that are federally regulated, such as those that contain DEET. The amount of DEET in the insect repellent should be no greater than 30% for adults and no greater than 10% for children. Health Canada says that DEET-containing repellents are not to be used on children under 6 months of age.   It recommends that, where there is a high risk of complications to the child from insect bites, DEET may be considered for children aged 6 months to 2 years. Health Canada also advises not to apply DEET more than three times a day to children between 2-12 years of age.

Cleaning up – all around the house

The best way to keep mosquitoes away is to clean up areas where they like to breed. Mosquitoes don’t fly very far and usually stay close to their breeding sites and normal habitat. Look around your house and property and get rid of places that are mosquito-friendly.

Removing any type of standing water

• Clean up and empty containers of standing water such as old tires, flower pots, wheelbarrows, barrels or tin cans that are outdoors.
• Change water in bird baths every other day.

Checking swimming or wading pools:

• Immediately remove water that collects on pool covers.
• Make sure pool’s pump is circulating.
• Turn over wading pools when not in use.

Always checking and clearing eaves and drains:

• Clear leaves and twigs from eavestroughs, storm and roof gutters throughout the summer.
• Make sure drainage ditches are not clogged.
• Check flat roofs frequently for standing water.

Regular yard and lawn maintenance

• Lawn cuttings, raked leaves or other decaying debris such as apples or berries that fall from trees should be recycled or mulched so that organic matter does not end up in storm sewers as a food source for mosquito larvae.
• The compost pile is not off limits to mosquitoes. Turn over compost frequently.
• Fill in low depressions in lawn areas
• Clear out dense shrubbery where mosquitoes like to rest.

How to protect yourself from sun damage :

The Canadian Dermatology Association has recommendations on what constitutes a good sunscreen. In fact, you can look on the bottle to see if it’s CDA-recognized. Here are the approval criteria that must be met:

• The product must have a UVB sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15
• The product must contain a broad spectrum UVA block
• The product must be non-comedogenic, non-irritating, and hypo-allergenic
• The product must be minimally or non-perfumed
• According to its website, the CDA doesn’t consider products marketed for tanning and requires manufacturers to take a strong stance about protection against skin damage.

If a product is recognized by the Canadian Dermatology Association, the following statement will appear on the product somewhere (usually on the packaging):

“The sun may cause sunburn, premature aging of the skin and skin cancer. Avoiding the sun, wearing protective clothing and regular use of sunscreens over the years may reduce the chance of these harmful effects. The sunscreens in this product meet the criteria established by the Canadian Dermatology Association.”

Also, be careful not to use a sunscreen after its expiry date. Sunscreens contain chemicals that break down, compromising their effectiveness. Keeping a sunscreen in a hot place – like the glove compartment of a car – can accelerate the breakdown.

For more sun safety tips, click here.

Web MD has more information on what to do if you have a sunburn.  

First Aid And Bug Bites

Toronto Fire Services has a good list of items you should include in a first aid kid. To see what they are, click here.

For some tips from the Mayo Clinic on what to do about bug bites and stings, click here.

And here’s some information on how to treat rashes from poison ivy, oak, and sumac.