Loving the Skin Your Child is in!

• Limit the amount of time your child spends in the sun
• Schedule outside activities for early morning or late afternoon. Avoid the hours of 10 AM  to 4 PM when the sun's UV rays are strongest and most harmful
• Dress your children to minimize exposure to the sun's rays. Choose clothes that are made from 1) tightly woven fabrics,such as unbleached cotton. 2) Wide-brimmed hats that shade your child's face, scalp, neck, and ears (not baseball caps). 3) Sunscreen that has a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher. 4) Sunglasses (rates to vlock close to 100% ofthe sun's UV-A and UV-B rays) to protect your child's eyes and skin around the eyes
• Be especially careful to protect your child from the sun: 1) On cloudy or hazy days. Clouds do not block most UV rays. 2) Around surfaces that can reflect thye sun's damaging rays onto the skin such as sand, water, cement, and snow. 3) In areas with a high altitude or tropical climate where the sun's UV rays are stronger
• Set a good example for your children by following these steps yourself!
• Be aware of your child's medications. Certain prescriptions and over-the-counter medications can cause the skin to be more sensitive to the sun

Ticks and Lyme Disease

• Lyme Disease is caused by bacteria transmitted by the deer tick. Lyme disease may cause symptoms affecting the skin, nervous system, heart and/or joints of an individual.
• Lyme Disease can affect people of any age. People who spend time in grassy and wooded environments are at an increased risk of exposure
• Lyme disease is spread when an infected tick bites a person and stays attached for a period of time. In most cases, the tick must be attached for 36 hours or more before the bacteria can be transmitted. Lyme disease does not spread from one person to another.
• Lyme disease is a bacterial infection. Even if successfully treated, a person may become reinfected if bitten later by another infected tick
• Symptoms:
• In 60-80% of cases, a rash resembling a bull's eye or solid patch, about 2 inches in diameter, appears and expands around or near the site of the bite. Sometimes, multiple rash sites appear.
• The early stage of Lyme disease is usually marked by one or more of the following symptoms: chills and fever, headache, fatigue, stiff neck, muscle and/or joint pain, and swollen glands.
• As the disease progresses, severe fatigue, a stiff aching neck, and tingling or numbness in the arms and legs, or facial paralysis can occur.
• The most severe symptoms of Lyme disease may not appear until weeks, months or years after the tick bite. these can include severe headaches, painful arthritis, swelling of the joints, and heart and central nervous system problems.
• Early treatment of Lyme disease involves antibiotics and almost always results in a full cure. However, thechances of a complete cure decrease of treatment is delayed
• To remove a tick, grasp the mouthparts with tweezers as close as possible top the attachment (skin) site. Be careful not to squeeze, crush, or puncture the body of the tick, which may contain infectious fluids. After removing the tick, thoroughly disinfect the bite site and wash hands.
• When in tick-infested habitat - wooded and grassy areas - take special precautions to prevent tick bites, such as wearing light-colored clothing (for easy tick discovery) and tuckign pants into socks and shirt into pants. A thorough check of body surfaces for attached ticks should be done at the end of the day. If removal of attached ticks occurs within 36 hours, the risk of tick-borne infection is minimal.
• Repellents can be effective at reducing bites from ticks that can transmit disease. But their use is not without risk of health effects, especially if repellents areapplied in large amounts or improperly. If you decide to use a repellent, use only what and how much you need for your situation. Repellents commonly available to consumers contain the active ingredients DEET, permethrin, or botanical oils.
• Exersize caution when using repellents:
• Children may be at a greater risk for adverse reactions to repellents, in part, because their exposure may be greater
• Keep repellents out if the reach of children
• Do not allow children to apply repellents to themselves
• Use only small amounts of repellent on children
• Do not apply repellent on the hands of small children because this may result in accidental eye contact or ingestion
• Try to reduce the ise of repellents by dressing children in long sleeves and long pants tucked into boots or socks whenever possible. Use netting overstrollers, playpens, etc.
• As with chemical exposures in general, pregnant woment should take care to avoid exposures to repellents when practical, as the fetus may be vulnerable.
• DEET has occasionally been associated with adverse reactions, these most commonly skin reactions and eye irritation. Use products with lower DEET concentrations and apply as little of the product as necessary to reduce your exposure to DEET and risk of reaction

• Information adapted from the NY State Department of Health Website
• More information can be obtained at http://www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/environ/lyme/home.htm

Five Fast Flu Facts

• Flu symptoms include fever, headache, chills, body aches, tiredness, dry cough, sore throat and nasal congestion.
• Flu is spread when a person who has the flu coughs, sneezes, or speaks and sends the flu virus into the air. The virus enters the nose, throat or lungs of a person and multiplies. Flu spreads less frequently when a person touches a surface that has flu viruses on it.
• If you get the flu: rest and drink plenty of liquids.
• antibiotics like penicillin will not cure the flu. The best way to prevent the flu is to get a flu shot. Over-the-counter medications may relieve symptoms of flu. The National Institute for Allergies & Infectious Diseases reccomends acetaminophen (Tylenol) for children; aspirin or acetaminophen for adults. Decongestants, cough suppressants and use of a humidifier can provide symptomatic relief.
• Do NOT give aspirin to a child or teenager who has the flu. To learn why, go to http://www.niaid.nig.gov/factsheets/flu.htm

Strep Facts

• Strep throat is caused by Streptococcus bacteria. It is the most common bacterial infection of the throat.
• Strep throat is most common in children between the ages of 5 and 15, although it can happen in younger children and adults. Children younger than 3 can get strep infections, but these usually don't affect the throat.
• Strep throat is most common in the late fall, winter, and early spring. The infection is spread by person-to-person contact with nasal secretions or saliva, often among family or household members.
• People with strep throat get sick 2-5 days after they are exposed. The illness usually begins suddenly, with a fever that peaks on the second day. Many people have a sore throat, headache, stomachache, nausea, chills, rash, fever, irritability, or a possible lack of appetite
• In some people, strep throat is very mild, with only a few of these symptoms. In others, strep throat is severe. There are many strains of strep. Some strains produce toxins that can lead to a scarlet fever rash. This rash is thought to be an allergic reaction to the toxins. Untreated, strep throat can sometimes lead to rheumatic fever. Kidney complications are among the other possibilities.
• Antibiotics are needed to fight the illness. Gargling with salt water (one half teaspoon of salt in a glass of warm water)   several times a day may also help.
• Most people are contagious until they have been on antibiotics 24-48 hours. Thus, they should stay home from school, etc., until they have been on antibiotics for at least a day.
• Get a new toothbrush after you are no longer contagious, but before finishing the antibiotics. Otherwise the bacteria can live in the toothbrush and re-infect when the antibiotics are done.
• If repeated cases of strep still occur on a family, you might check to see if someone is a strep carrier. Carriers have strep in their throats, but the bacteria do not make them sick. Sometimes, treating them can prevent others from getting strep throat.