Bug Bite Prevention (diseases spread by bugs)

PREVENT BUG BITES

What To Know Before You Go!

Bugs can spread diseases

Travelers to tropical and other destinations should take steps to prevent bug bites.

Protect Yourself!

• Wearing insect repellent with at least 20% DEET protects against mosquito and tick bites*

• Use insect repellents according to package directions, and reapply as directed. Higher percentages of the active ingredient provide longer duration of protection.

Apply Protection!

• When applying both sunscreen and insect repellent, apply sunscreen first, let it dry, then apply insect repellent.

Other ways to prevent bug bites:

• As much as possible, wear long pants and sleeves. Tuck shirts in and tuck pant legs into socks

• Use permethrin-treated gear (such as tents and sleeping bags) and clothing.

• Sleep in places that are air conditioned or screened against bugs

• Sleep under a bed net if sleeping area is exposed to the outdoors.

Examples of diseases spread by bugs:

-Mosquitoes: dengue, chikungunya, malaria, Zika, yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis

-Ticks: African tick-bite fever, Mediterranean spotted fever, tickborne encephalitis

-Other: scrub typhus (chiggers), plague (fleas), sleeping sickness (tsetse flies)