Mosquito & Tick-Borne Illnesses Are on the Rise {Interview}

Don’t Get “Ticked Off”

This Summer, Mosquito & Tick-Borne Illnesses Are on the Rise

It’s one of the most annoying sounds that invade our space in the summer…that BZZZZZ from a mosquito. And, where there’s a buzz comes a bite, oftentimes followed by itching and swelling. Unfortunately, mosquitoes aren’t the only summer pest that cause a mean bite. Ticks are also on the prowl for a blood meal – and humans make great hosts.

Although tiny, these biting pests can leave bigger problems than just itchy welts on the skin. They are known to transmit germs and pathogens that cause Lyme disease, West Nile virus, Zika virus and other dangerous diseases. What’s more, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported that disease cases from mosquito, tick and flea bites tripled in the U.S. from 2004 to 2016. [1] This makes prevention of the utmost importance as we head into the summer months.

The good news is your audience doesn’t have to spend the summer months cooped up inside to avoid the wrath of mosquitoes and ticks. There are steps they can take to help keep these pests at bay while enjoying the great outdoors. And, the keys to doing so might be more obvious than people may think.

Join me in a recent interveiw with Jorge Parada, MD, MPH, infectious disease specialist and medical advisor for the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), as he  discusses:

• How to properly apply insect repellent for maximum effectiveness
• Other proactive steps to fight off mosquito and tick bites this summer
• The best at-home bite remedies
• Instructions for properly removing a tick from the skin
• Who’s at greatest risk for mosquito and tick-borne diseases? What are the symptoms, treatment and diagnosis?

See the entire interview here:

For more information, go to PestWorld.org.

Dr. Jorge Parada Bio

Jorge P. Parada, MD, MPH, FACP, FIDSA, is the medical advisor for the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), the medical director of the Loyola University Medical System Infection Control Program in Chicago, Illinois, and an associate professor of medicine at the university’s Stritch School of Medicine. He is also a senior research associate at the Center for Management of Complex Chronic Care at Hines Veterans Affairs (VA) Hospital in Hines, Illinois.

After earning his medical degree at the Lisbon Medical School in Portugal, Dr. Parada remained in Lisbon to complete a medical–surgical residency and to train at the Institute for Tropical Medicine. He completed additional residency training in internal medicine at the State University of New York at Stony Brook an Northport VA Medical Center. Dr. Parada went on to obtain a masters degree in public health from Harvard University while completing an infectious diseases fellowship at Boston University. He also completed a health services research outcomes fellowship at Rush University and Cook County Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, before joining the faculty of Loyola University in 1999.

Dr. Parada’s research interests include hospital epidemiology, emergency preparedness, and infection control with an emphasis on process of care variables related to Clostridium difficile-associated disease, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection, and device-related infections. Outcomes from his work have been published in such notable journals as Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, Journal of Infection, and Clinical Infectious Diseases. Dr. Parada has also served as course director for the Chicago Medical Society and the Chicago Department of Public Health’s programs on emergency preparedness for bioterrorism, pandemic/avian influenza, and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).

*Interview is sponsored by National Pest Management Association (NPMA).