KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – It may not feel like summer yet, but local officials say it isn’t all sunshine and sandy beaches when it arrives. It also means insects and diseases to worry about.
The Kalamazoo County Health and Community Services Department has reissued its advisories about ticks and mosquitoes and particularly concerns about Lyme disease, cases of which have tripled in the last five years in Kalamazoo County.
Portage city council member Jihan Young, a member of the Environmental Health Board, says anyone with kids who play outdoors or for those who take walks outside, need to know how to protect themselves, and screen for ticks.
The wet spring may have helped boost populations, particularly of mosquitoes, which can now carry a variety of viruses.
Wear light clothing and long sleeves, use insect repellants that contain Deet, and remove standing water from your yard.
You can find a lot of good information at the County Health and Community Service Department’s website.
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