Ticks and mosquitoes may await the pandemic-weary seeking outdoor exercise

Pandemic-weary Americans have begun walking and hiking in recent months to get out of the house while avoiding infection with the novel coronavirus. At the same time, resource-strapped local health departments have been forced to divert money and people to covid-related activities, unwillingly creating openings for outside exercisers to get sick in other ways.

Although woods and trails provide some distance from people, they are home to other dangers — such as ticks that carry bacteria-causing Lyme disease or mosquitoes that transmit West Nile virus — especially now, when bugs are proliferating. These and other insects can pass along potentially serious diseases with a single bite.

Health departments have been spending their budgets and deploying personnel on covid-19 efforts, which hurts their ability to focus on programs that control mosquitoes and ticks, says Chelsea Gridley-Smith, director of environmental health for the National Association of County and City Health Officials.


Continue reading the article by The Washington Post's Marlene Cimons here.

마지막 업데이트

October 21, 2024

작성자
사진 썸네일 블로그 작성자

워싱턴 포스트

워싱턴 포스트의 미디어 언급

수상 경력에 빛나는 저희 저널리스트들은 1877년부터 워싱턴과 전 세계를 취재해 왔습니다.

더 많은 콘텐츠 살펴보기

미디어 언급

It's a 0.1 micron inline filter that fits in the palm of your hand and attaches to an included drinking pouch.

Stephanie Dwilson
Commerce Writer, Athlon Sports

미디어 언급

For extreme bug conditions (deep woods, swamps), pairing the shirt with a dedicated insect repellent like Sawyer Permethrin is recommended, as the shirt itself isn’t chemically treated.

필립 베르너
Author and Backpacker

미디어 언급

Sawyer Squeeze: What I will use to filter from dirty to clean water

Kiley V
하이커