Morris County Health Department

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BE TICK AWARE
🏕️ Ticks are common in Kansas, and a natural part of the environment. If you spend time outdoors you will encounter ticks.
🤒Ticks can carry diseases that make people and animals sick. These include Ehrlichiosis, Tularemia, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and the red meat allergy, Alpha-Gal Syndrome.
🚫Take measures to prevent tick bites.
🚨Perform careful tick checks on yourself, children, and pets.
🩺Watch out for symptoms for 30 days after a tick bite. See your doctor right away if you develop fever, headache, rash, fatigue, or any symptoms suggestive of tickborne disease. Early treatment can prevent severe illness.

🔗Learn more about ticks in Kansas here: https://www.kdhe.ks.gov/2241/Ticks

National Breastfeeding Month

🟢Harmful algal blooms (HABs) release toxins that can be harmful to humans and animals.
🚤🐕HABs can be deadly to your dog.
🟡⭕Avoid water with foam, scum, paint-like streaks, unusual colors, a foul odor, or if decaying algae, dead fish or wildlife are seen on the shoreline.
🟡⭕Avoid water bodies with active HAB advisories
Dogs can be exposed by:
- Swimming in or drinking contaminated water.
- Licking algae or contaminated water from their fur.
- Eating algal mats or contaminated fish.
- Inhaling contaminated droplets.
🐶🚿Rinse your dog with clean water after swimming.
If you think your dog may have been exposed:
- Remove your dog from the water immediately.
- Prevent your dog from licking its fur and paws.
- Rinse your dog thoroughly with clean water while wearing gloves.
🔴 Seek IMMEDIATE VETERINARY CARE and tell your vet that HAB toxin exposure is suspected and which body of water was visited.
The signs of HAB poisoning in a dog include:
- Loss of appetite and energy
- Vomiting, excessive drooling
- Diarrhea
- Stumbling, tremors, convulsions
- Difficulty breathing
- Rash, hives, skin irritation
🚨KNOW IT. AVOID IT. REPORT IT. 🚨
🔗 Check to see if your lake, stream or pond is on the list of advisories for harmful algal blooms at kdhe.ks.gov/HAB
Lake advisories are posted on Fridays, from April-October.
📢 If you notice a harmful algal bloom, report it to KDHE at 855-422-5253, or at kdhe.ks.gov/HAB
🔗 Learn more about HABs: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/c070c80592934730834c194280300ecb

🦟Kansans are currently at HIGH risk of being bitten by West Nile Virus carrying mosquitoes. Most people don't develop any symptoms, but when they do symptoms can range from mild flu-like illness with fever, headache, body aches, rash, vomiting and diarrhea, to severe illness. Some people develop neurological infection, causing brain damage and even death. Each year, dozens of Kansans develop neuroinvasive West Nile virus disease. Preventing mosquito bites prevents disease.

🟠DRESS: Wear long sleeved, loose-fitting shirts and pants. Avoid the outdoors at dusk and dawn. Keep window and door screens in good repair. Use mosquito netting on strollers and playpens.
🟠DRAIN: Mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water. Eliminate mosquito breeding habitats by tipping and tossing standing water at least twice a week. Empty water from buckets, tires, tarps, toys and other containers. Refresh bird baths and pet water bowls every three days. Keep wading pools empty when not in use and drill drainage holes on tire swings. Check for hidden water sources like clogged gutters and plant saucers. If you have a pond, consider stocking mosquito-eating fish. Treat standing water that can't be drained with appropriate larvicides.
🟠DEET: Use EPA-registered repellents. Apply permethrin to clothing and gear. Store insect repellents safely out of reach of children.

🔗Check out KDHE's West Nile Virus (WNV) risk level in your area. It is updated on Fridays during mosquito surveillance season (June to October): https://www.kdhe.ks.gov/1519/West-Nile-Virus
🔗KDHE's West Nile Virus Dashboard: https://www.kdhe.ks.gov/1937/West-Nile-Virus-Data
🔗EPA-registered repellents: https://www.epa.gov/insect-repellents
🔗Learn more about mosquito bite prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/west-nile-virus/prevention/index.html