It's August. Are you wearing bug spray and treating or changing stagnant water in Hunterdon's great outdoors?
Officials say those measures are particularly important this year because a new-to-the-Americas virus can be spread by mosquitoes in New Jersey.
That's in addition to West Nile Virus, spread by mosquitoes, and Lyme Disease, spread by ticks.
And, like sunscreen, it's important to remember that bug repellent reapplications are needed after swimming or sweating.
In Hunterdon, the chikungunya virus — which has sickened hundreds of thousands and killed at least 21 in the Caribbean since appearing there in December — can be spread by the Asian Tiger mosquito, an invasive species making a late appearance here this year.
It was one of the few species hurt by winter's deep freeze, but is now appearing in traps set by Hunterdon County Health and is expected to continue through September.
This species can also transmit dengue fever, another disease normally found in the tropics.
Both of these diseases remain rare in the Mid-Atlantic and to date have almost always been found in those who have recently traveled or are visiting from a country where they are common. Chikungunya cases have been reported in Florida.
However, a man infected in September 2013 became the first local, confirmed case of dengue fever in New York.
Tadhgh Rainey is director of the Hunterdon County Division of Health and its expert on mosquito and vector — anything that carries and transmits disease — control. He advises taking steps to avoid bug bites regardless of the time of day outdoors.
The Asian Tiger mosquito is an aggressive species, feeding during the day, while many other mosquitoes are active at dusk, dawn and after dark. It's only the females that take a blood meal, which they'll do a few times a week in order to feed their eggs.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommendations for effective bug repellents — including DEET concentrations — and measures, such as draping strollers with mosquito netting edged with elastic.
A simple way to reduce the problem of mosquito-borne illness is to keep properties clear of stagnant water receptacles — eggs can hatch in something as small as a bottle cap — and treat or change water regularly in places such as birdbaths and pet and livestock water bowls or tubs.
This helps to protect people, and animals, throughout a neighborhood.
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