Rhode Islanders Reminded to Take Tick and Mosquito Bite Prevention Measures

With warmer weather now here, the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) is reminding people to take measures to prevent tick and mosquito bites when outdoors.

Avoiding tick bites prevents the transmission of Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases, such as anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, and babesiosis. Mosquitoes are carriers of many diseases, including West Nile Virus (WNV) and Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE). Mosquito bite prevention helps keep people safe from these illnesses.

Tick-borne disease prevention

Repel: Prevent tick bites -- Use repellents that contain 20 to 30% DEET (N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide) on exposed skin and clothing for protection that lasts up to several hours. Always follow product instructions. Parents can apply this product to their children, avoiding hands, eyes, and mouth. DEET containing insect repellants are not recommended for use on infants under 2 months old. You can also find other EPA-approved insect repellents at https://www.epa.gov/insect-repellents/find-repellent-right-you. -- Avoid wooded and brushy areas with high grass and leaves to avoid tick bites. If you are going to be in a wooded area, walk in the center of the trail to avoid contact with overgrown grass, brush, and leaves at the edges of the trail. You can also spray your clothes and shoes with permethrin to keep ticks away. Make sure to not spray this on your skin. -- Wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts when outside. -- Tuck your pants into your socks so ticks do not crawl under your clothes. -- Wear light-colored clothing so you can see ticks more easily.

Check: Check yourself, your children, and pets, for ticks -- Take a shower as soon as you come inside if you have been in grassy or wooded areas. -- Do a full-body tick check using a mirror; parents should check their kids for ticks and pay special attention to the area in and around the ears, in the belly button, behind the knees, between the legs, around the waist, and in their hair. -- Check your pets for ticks as well because they can bring ticks into the home.

Remove: Remove ticks from your body, as well as from children and pets, if you find them. -- Use a set of tweezers to remove the tick. Grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible and pull straight up. -- If you don't have tweezers or a tick removal spoon, use your fingers with a tissue or rubber gloves.

Most people who get Lyme disease get a rash anywhere on their body, though it may not appear right away. At first, the rash looks like a red circle, but as the circle gets bigger, the middle changes color and seems to clear, so the rash looks like a target bull's-eye.

Some people don't get a rash but feel sick, with headaches, fever, body aches, and fatigue. Over time, they could have swelling and pain in their joints and a stiff, sore neck; or they could develop shooting pains, numbness, or tingling in the hands or feet, or facial drooping from nerve palsy. Some people may experience heart problems. Lyme disease can be treated with antibiotics.

In 2024, Rhode Island had 2,565 cases of Lyme disease, with Washington County continuing to have the highest rate of Lyme disease in the State. Find statewide, county, and municipal tick-borne disease data on RIDOH's tick-borne disease dashboard.

Mosquito bite prevention

-- Put screens on windows and doors. Fix screens that are loose or have holes. -- Consider rescheduling outdoor activities that occur during the evening or early morning at sunrise and sundown (when mosquitoes carrying the EEE virus are most active). -- Use EPA-approved bug spray with one of the following active ingredients: DEET (20-30% strength), picaridin, IR3535, and oil of lemon eucalyptus or paramenthane. Always read the label and follow all directions and precautions. -- Put mosquito netting over playpens and baby carriages.

Remove items around your house and yard that collect water. Just one cup of water can produce hundreds of mosquitoes. -- Clean your gutters and downspouts so that they can drain properly. -- Remove any water from unused swimming pools, wading pools, boats, planters, trash and recycling bins, tires, and anything else that collects water, and cover them. -- Remove or treat any shallow water that can accumulate on top of a pool cover. Larvicide treatments, such as Mosquito Dunks can be applied to kill immature mosquitoes. This environmentally friendly product is available at many hardware and garden stores and online. -- Clean and change water in birdbaths at least twice a week.