Working for CDC has afforded me with opportunities to develop health messages that are read by people throughout the world, which is pretty exciting. It’s a wonderful opportunity to meet people who hear and use those messages.

For that reason one of my greatest rewards has been my involvement with the “Fight the Bite” poster contest that CDC co-sponsors with the DEET Education Program. This is the third year we’ve held the contest and it was the best yet. It was a treat to meet national contest winners Meghan Zengel and Richard Schleicher. The students and their families came together recently for the “Fight the Bite” Poster Contest award ceremony at the Atlanta headquarters of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those of us with the CDC and the DEET Education Program, which sponsor the contest, had a great time meeting the students and hearing about their artwork and their interesting plans for the future.
Meghan, a fifth grader, and Richard, a sixth grader, both received a $1,000 U.S. Savings Bond and an award certificate. Plus they won an all-expense-paid trip to Atlanta with their parents (and Meghan’s brother).

Students from New Hampshire to Washington State entered the third annual “Fight the Bite” poster contest. What pleased us most here at CDC was the quality of entries, with their young artists accurately conveying important prevention messages in attractive and creative ways. We can really get some insight into what young people hear from our bug-bite prevention messages, and we always take some new ideas for prevention and promotion away from the event. You can see the list of winners and their posters at http://www.fightthebitecontest.org/.
Richard, who competes in rodeos as a bull rider (what courage! So glad he uses a helmet!), used that thrilling sport as his theme. Meghan, who enjoys reading mystery novels, created a fun and clever poster around a detective with a magnifying glass.

Our contest invites fifth and sixth grade student to create posters encouraging children and adults to protect against mosquito and tick bites and the diseases they can cause. (Please visit http://www.cdc.gov/ for more). A panel of judges, including two top public health leaders, chose two Grand Prize winners—one from each grade—and they selected state winners for fifth grade and sixth grade, who each will receive a $50 savings bond and certificate.
Please tell youngsters who will be in those two grades next year about our contest. Of course, if you’re one, please enter! You’ll have fun, learn some valuable information and get a shot at some nice prizes.

Thanks for visiting our blog.

Spring: Showers, Flowers and... Bugs

Greetings!

This exciting time of year brings sunny days, blooming flowers, spring showers and… bugs.

That’s not to say bugs are bad. They play a vital role in the ecosystem, providing food for birds and fish, pollinating flowers, helping decay organic material and even controlling populations of other insects. But, of course, bug bites can be annoying and sometimes even dangerous.

Mosquitoes are prime candidates for being named among the most “annoying” insects on the planet. But, more than being a nuisance, they spread diseases such as West Nile virus, which has swept across the United States since 1999. In fact, I just attended a scientific meeting co-sponsored by CDC and the American Mosquito Control Association (http://www.mosquito.org/) focused on the ten-year history of WNV in our county. While human cases have declined slightly (www.cdc.gov/westnile), there are still states where WNV remains a true danger, such as California, Arizona, Colorado and Texas. And researchers recently published a study that showed climate change—with warmer and wetter weather in some spots—appears to elevate WNV infections. Plus, mosquitoes spread other diseases, such as La Crosse encephalitis, which can make people seriously ill. So, not only do you want to protect against mosquito bites to avoid the itching aftermath, you want to avoid contracting a mosquito-borne disease.

You also want to protect against bites from ticks, which can cause serious infections, most commonly Lyme disease. Spring and early summer is primetime for the deer ticks that spread Lyme, according to the America Lyme Disease Association (http://www.aldf.com/). That’s when young “nymphal” ticks are seeking the blood they need to grow. They’re only about the size of a poppy seed, so a careful tick check is critical after you return indoors. And keep in mind you don’t have to be in the woods to encounter ticks. Most people reporting a tick bite say it came from right in their own yards.

You can find tips to avoid bites on our website (www.deetonline.org/tips.php) and on the websites above. You can post questions, suggestions and comments below, or via info@deetonline.org.

Best wishes for a wonderful and healthy spring and summer!
Susan
Susan E. Little
Executive Director, DEET Education Program