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Ah… summer! It’s a time of long sunny days, enjoying nature and letting our inner child out for some playful activities. But romping around outdoors can also expose you to risks you usually safely avoid if you spend most of the year inside. Bugbites, burns, overheating and even drowning can increase in the summer. The team at NPR’s Life Kit has these key safety tips.
🏊 Can you swim well enough to survive a dangerous situation in the water? According to the American Red Cross, less than half of Americans have the five basic water safety skills that you need to survive. These include being able to tread water for one minute, being able to turn around to find an exit, swimming up to 25 yards, and exiting from the water without a ladder. If you can’t do these things, summer provides a perfect time to level up by finding a swim class.
🌊 Drowning is the number one cause of death in the U.S. for children ages 1-4. “The amount of time it takes to read and answer a text message is the amount of time it takes for a child to drown,” warns Chezik Tsunoda, founder of non-profit No More Under. By designating an adult water-watcher — not unlike a designated driver, chosen before an outing — you may avoid the precarious assumption that someone else is watching the swimmers when you are not. Rotate water-watchers every 15 minutes, and keep a phone and a floatation device nearby.
😎 It is fine to take advantage of the summer sun, as long as you limit your time in the rays, reports Clare Marie Schneider. Beware heat exhaustion, which is your body’s warning sign that you’re starting to overheat. Apply sunscreen and stay hydrated (with water, sports drinks, or clear juices) and skip the alcoholic drinks on the hotter days. To cool down, put ice or a cold, wet towel behind your neck, under an armpit, or on your groin.
👖 Covering your skin can spare you the pesky ticks, reports Pien Huang. When outdoors in tick-rich areas, like the Northeast, wear long sleeves and tuck your pants into your socks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that you use permethrin on your clothes and DEET on exposed skin. When you are inside again, take a shower and throw your clothes in the dryer. Check for ticks as soon as you get in; the longer the ticks stay attached to you, the more likely they are to spread disease to you. It’s a good idea to take a photo for your doctor of the little biter before you remove it.
🧑🍳 Grilling outside is a fast way to make friends, but there’s a risk of starting a blaze. Keep clear of anything above your grill (like a balcony) when it is on, and keep it away from your house’s siding, and a fire extinguisher on hand. If the fire appears to be getting out of control, do not panic, advises Jess Larson, founder of the food blog Plays Well With Butter: "When in doubt, just close the lid [and the vents] and have the fire die out on its own.”
Plus: Want to make yourself less appealing to mosquitoes? Take our quiz. |
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Kyle Pyatt for KFF Health News |
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Don’t let the ostensibly de minimus size of ticks mislead you. They are dangerous little bugs, especially those that carry Lyme disease, and this tick season may be the worst in a decade! So, it is not surprising that pharmaceutical giants Pfizer and Valneva are seeking regulatory approval for a Lyme disease vaccine. And with climate change expanding the areas in which ticks can survive, demand for a vaccine may grow.
Lyme disease’s symptoms include fever, chills, shooting pains, headaches, inflammation of the brain and spinal cord, and even arthritis, according to the CDC. Lyme is tricky, reports Bram Sable-Smith of KFF Health News. It can be tough to diagnose, and prior infection does not provide permanent immunity.
Steven Rinella, host of the hunting show MeatEater, knows the disease’s risk; he and his older son contracted it during a trip to New York’s Hudson Valley. His son developed Bell’s palsy (paralysis on one side of the face), and Steven’s symptoms rendered him unable to walk down stairs without a handrail. Both men got better with antibiotic treatments.
But in this era of vaccine hesitancy, will a Lyme disease vaccine catch on? Sable-Smith spoke with some hunters to get their take. Some showed interest in a vaccine.
"Given my proclivity for the outdoors, absolutely," said Jess Manganelli at the Busch Shooting Range in Weldon Spring, Mo., just outside of St. Louis. Two years ago, Manganelli experienced muscle weakness, fatigue, swelling, and headaches after a tick bite. She believed she may have contracted Lyme disease, but her test at urgent care turned out negative.
Others were more doubtful. Jeremy Hollingshead has spent his whole life in the woods, and of hundreds of people he knows who have done the same, he knows of only one of them contracting Lyme. He thinks the odds of getting Lyme himself seem pretty slim.
The proposed four-dose vaccine candidate is still being tested. It did not meet one of the testing requirements because too few study participants contracted Lyme disease. The pharmaceutical companies maintain that the proposed vaccine is about 75% effective in reducing cases, and they plan to submit it for regulatory approval.
Also: A red meat allergy caused by ticks killed a N.J. man. Here's what to know |
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Allison Lee Isley/KFF Health News |
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We hope you enjoyed these stories. Find more of NPR's health journalism online.
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Nicholas Burns and your NPR Health editors |
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