West Nile Virus

West Nile virus is transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito. Mild symptoms include     fever, headache, and body aches, occasionally with a skin rash on the trunk of the body and swollen lymph glands. Symptoms of severe   infection include headache, high fever, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, and paralysis.

You can protect yourself from mosquito bites in these ways:

· Apply Picaridin or insect repellent with DEET to exposed skin.

· Spray clothing with repellents containing DEET or permethrin. (Note: Do not spray permethrin directly onto exposed skin.)

· Wear long sleeves, long pants, and socks.

· Be extra vigilant at dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active.

· Get rid of sources of standing water (used tires, buckets) to reduce or eliminate     mosquito breeding areas.

Lyme & Tick-Borne Diseases

These illnesses (i.e., Rocky Mountain spotted fever) are transmitted to people by bacteria from bites of infected deer (blacklegged) ticks. In the case of Lyme disease, most, but not all, victims will develop a “bulls-eye” rash. Other signs and symptoms may be non-specific and similar to flu-like symptoms such as fever, lymph node swelling, neck stiffness, generalized fatigue, headaches, migrating joint aches, or muscle aches. You are at increased risk if your work outdoors involves construction, landscaping, forestry, brush clearing, land            surveying, farming, rail-roads, oil fields, utility lines, or park and wildlife management.

Protect yourself with these precautions:

· Wear light-colored clothes to see ticks    more easily.

· Wear long sleeves; tuck pant legs into socks or boots.

· Wear high boots or closed shoes that cover your feet completely.

· Wear a hat.

· Use tick repellants, but not on your face. Shower after work. Wash and dry your work clothes at high temperature.

· Examine your body for ticks after work. Remove any attached ticks promptly and carefully with fine-tipped tweezers by gripping the tick. Do not use petroleum jelly, a hot match, or nail polish to remove the tick.

Safety Tips develope by OSHA - U.S. Department of Labor
www.osha.gov
(800) 321-OSHA