- Author: Karey Windbiel-Rojas
- Author: Elaine Lander
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a Health Advisory recently in response to increased reports of illness associated with products containing the pesticide ivermectin. Ivermectin is an active ingredient that is typically used to treat internal animal parasites such as roundworms, threadworms, and other parasites, and external parasites such as head lice. It is an anti-parasitic pesticide not an anti-viral. The FDA has not approved ivermectin for use in treating or preventing COVID-19.
The CDC health advisory states “Veterinary formulations intended for use in large animals such as horses, sheep, and cattle (e.g., “sheep drench,” injection formulations, and “pour-on” products for cattle) can be highly concentrated and result in overdoses when used by humans. Animal products may also contain inactive ingredients that have not been evaluated for use in humans. People who take inappropriately high doses of ivermectin above FDA-recommended dosing may experience toxic effects.”
Part of the University of California Integrated Pest Management Program's mission is to provide pesticide information to residents of California to protect human health and the environment. We address public health issues as they relate to pests of homes, people, pets, structures, and plants. Part of our educational efforts in this area is on pesticide use and safety. We do not and cannot comment on medically advised prescriptions or treatment for human diseases and ailments such as influenza, measles, asthma, COVID-19, or any other contagious diseases. However, it is within our charge to share information about registered pesticides, their safe use, and consequences to human health.
Visit our website for more information on pesticides in homes and landscapes. If you suspect that you or someone you know is experiencing serious illness due to pesticide exposure, contact the Poison Control hotline at 800-222-1222.
- Author: Rose Marie Hayden-Smith
Happy summer! It's time to get the barbecue grilling and the pool party started. To keep your summer healthy and fun, UC ANR offers some important safety tips.
Food safety
Food poisoning is a serious health threat in the United States, especially during the hot summer months. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 in 6 Americans suffer from a foodborne illness each year, resulting in thousands of hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths.
Both the CDC and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) suggest four key rules to follow to stay food safe:
- Clean: Clean kitchen surfaces, utensils, and hands with soap and water while preparing food. Wash fresh fruits and vegetables thoroughly under running water.
- Separate: Separate raw meats from other foods by using different cutting boards. And be sure to keep raw meat, poultry, seafood and eggs away from other items in your refrigerator.
- Cook: Cook foods to the right temperature; be sure to check internal temperature by using a food thermometer.
- Chill: Chill raw and prepared foods promptly.
Here are some additional tips from the USDA. Be sure to check out the CDC's comprehensive food safety website, which also has materials in both Spanish and English. For food safety tips in real time, follow USDA Food Safety on Twitter.
Summer also means more outside grilling, which can pose unique food safety concerns. Before firing up the barbecue, check out these five easy tips from UC Davis.
Before you take off on a road trip, camping adventure or boating excursion, don't forget to consider food safety. You'll need to plan ahead and invest in a good cooler.
Remember, warns the USDA, don't let food sit out for more than one hour in temperatures above 90 degrees F. And discard any food left out more than two hours; after only one hour in temperatures above 90 degrees F.
If there are any doubts about how long the food was out, it is best to throw it out!
Get more food safety tips for traveling from the USDA.
Avoid heat illness
“Summer can be a time for fun and relaxation, but in warm climates, we need to stay aware of the signs of heat illness and help keep our family members and co-workers safe,” says Brian Oatman, director of Risk & Safety Services at UC ANR.
“UC ANR provides comprehensive resources on our website, but it's designed around California requirements for workplace safety.” But, Oatman notes, much of the information applies.
“The training and basic guidance – drink water, take a rest when you are feeling any symptoms and having a shaded area available – are useful for anyone at any time.”
To increase your awareness of heat illness symptoms – and to learn more about prevention – Oatman suggests a few resources.
“Our Heat Illness Prevention page has many resources, including links for training, heat illness prevention plans, and links to other sites. One of the external sites for heat illness that I recommend is the Cal/OSHA site, which spells out the basic requirements for heat illness prevention in the workplace. It's also available in Spanish."
For those on the go, Oatman also recommends the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) mobile heat safety app.
/h2>/h2>/h2>
- Author: Karey Windbiel-Rojas
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there is currently no vaccine to prevent the disease or any drugs to treat it. The best way to prevent Zika and other mosquito-borne diseases, including West Nile virus, is to protect yourself and your family from mosquito bites. Aedes mosquitoes are considered day biters, so it's important to limit exposure to mosquitoes, which may include clothing and use of mosquito repellents. See the box for tips on how to avoid mosquito bites.
Effective Mosquito Repellents
Consumer Reports, a nonprofit educational and consumer product research group, recently tested 16 mosquito repellent products containing a variety of ingredients to find out which were the most effective. Products tested included those with the active ingredients DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus (also known as PMD or para-menthane-diol), as well as a variety of plant oils, such as cedar, citronella, geraniol, lemongrass, and rosemary. See Table 1.
DEET is the most effective mosquito repellent if you will be out for long periods where mosquitoes are abundant. However, DEET is an irritant to some people, and repellents containing high DEET concentrations can damage synthetic materials such as clothing or plastics.
Consumer Reports suggests avoiding products made with natural oils such as citronella, lemongrass oil, cedar oil, geraniol, rosemary oil, cinnamon oil, and others. According to their analyses, many of these products were only effective against Aedes mosquitoes for 1 hour or less.
Click here to read the full article and find the ratings of all products tested.
Tips to Protect Yourself from Mosquito Bites
- Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants.
- Stay in places with air conditioning and window / door screens.
- Empty, cover, or clean up any items outside of your home that can hold water. For specific tips, see the resources at the end of this article.
- If traveling overseas to areas where mosquito-borne diseases are common, sleep under a mosquito bed net.
- Use EPA-registered insect repellents with one of the following active ingredients: DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus (PMD).
o Always follow the product label instructions.
o Reapply insect repellent as directed.
o Do not spray repellent on the skin under clothing.
o If you are also using sunscreen, apply sunscreen before applying insect repellent.
- To protect your child from mosquito bites:
o Do not use insect repellent on babies younger than 2 months old.
o For children younger than 3 years old, do not use products containing oil of lemon eucalyptus or PMD.
o Dress your child in clothing that covers arms and legs.
o Cover cribs, strollers, and baby carriers with mosquito netting.
o Do not apply insect repellent onto a child's hands, eyes, mouth, or cut or irritated skin.
o Adults: Spray insect repellent onto your hands and then apply to a child's face.
Using Mosquito Repellent
CDC recommends using products containing active ingredients registered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for use as repellents applied to skin and clothing. An EPA registration indicates the active ingredients of repellents have been tested for human safety when applied according to the instructions on the label. When used as directed, EPA-registered insect repellents are proven safe and effective, even for pregnant and breast-feeding women.
To see if a mosquito repellent is registered by the EPA, look for its registration number on the package, which usually is written as "EPA Reg." or check the EPA Web site.
Learn more about the Zika virus and find information on prevention, symptoms, and risks on the CDC Web site and on the American Mosquito Control Association Web site.
For general information about managing mosquitoes, reducing breeding habitats, and using insect repellent, see the UC IPM Pest Notes: Mosquitoes.
[From the August 2016 issue of the UC IPM Retail Newsletter]
Always read and carefully follow all precautions and safety instructions provided on the pesticide container label, as well as any other regulations regarding the use of pesticides. Not following label directions, even if they conflict with information provided herein, is a violation of state and federal law. No endorsements of named products are intended, nor is criticism implied of products not mentioned.
/h2>/h2>/h2>
Bats in the Landscape
California is home to over 25 bat species, but most people never see them because they are nocturnal. Bats can be helpful predators in the landscape. For example, did you know that some bats will eat stink bugs, cucumber beetles, mosquitoes, and flies? Or that some bats can eat their body weight in insects every night?
Bats as Pests
Unfortunately, sometimes bats can concern people, especially when migrating bats roost in buildings during warmer months. Bats can also transmit diseases such as rabies, although not all bats carry this disease.
To minimize your risk of disease transmission, never handle bats, avoid breathing dust from their droppings, and vaccinate your dogs and cats against rabies. It's very important to educate children to never touch a bat, dead or alive.
Bats can create unsanitary conditions when their droppings and urine accumulate beneath roosts. This creates odors and attracts insects. More information regarding bats and disease prevention is available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Exclusion is the best management practice for an infestation of unwanted bats. Learn more about bat pest management and about using bat houses to encourage bats by reading the UC IPM Pest Note: Bats.
/h2>/h2>- Author: Karey Windbiel-Rojas
[From the August 2016 issue of the UC IPM Retail Newsletter]
The Zika virus is spread to people mainly through the bite of an infected mosquito, mostly Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. People can also get the Zika virus through sexual contact with an infected person, and the virus can also be passed from a pregnant woman to her developing fetus, which can cause a serious birth defect called microcephaly.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there is currently no vaccine to prevent the disease or any drugs to treat it. The best way to prevent Zika and other mosquito-borne diseases, including West Nile virus, is to protect yourself and your family from mosquito bites. Aedes mosquitoes are considered day biters, so it's important to limit exposure to mosquitoes, which may include clothing and use of mosquito repellents. See the box for tips on how to avoid mosquito bites.
Effective Mosquito Repellents
Consumer Reports, a nonprofit educational and consumer product research group, recently tested 16 mosquito repellent products containing a variety of ingredients to find out which were the most effective. Products tested included those with the active ingredients DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus (also known as PMD or para-menthane-diol), as well as a variety of plant oils, such as cedar, citronella, geraniol, lemongrass, and rosemary. See Table 1.
The most effective products against Aedes mosquitoes were those containing 20% picaridin and 25% DEET. These concentrations of active ingredients kept mosquitoes from biting for about 8 hours. Furthermore, one product (Sawyer Fisherman's Formula Picaridin) was reportedly the only one among those tested that also kept Culex mosquitoes (which can spread West Nile virus), as well as deer ticks away for at least 8 hours.
DEET is the most effective mosquito repellent if you will be out for long periods where mosquitoes are abundant. However, DEET is an irritant to some people, and repellents containing high DEET concentrations can damage synthetic materials such as clothing or plastics.
Consumer Reports suggests avoiding products made with natural oils such as citronella, lemongrass oil, cedar oil, geraniol, rosemary oil, cinnamon oil, and others. According to their analyses, many of these products were only effective against Aedes mosquitoes for 1 hour or less.
Click here to read the full article and find the ratings of all products tested.
Tips to Protect Yourself from Mosquito Bites
- Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants.
- Stay in places with air conditioning and window / door screens.
- Empty, cover, or clean up any items outside of your home that can hold water. For specific tips, see the resources at the end of this article.
- If traveling overseas to areas where mosquito-borne diseases are common, sleep under a mosquito bed net.
- Use EPA-registered insect repellents with one of the following active ingredients: DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus (PMD).
o Always follow the product label instructions.
o Reapply insect repellent as directed.
o Do not spray repellent on the skin under clothing.
o If you are also using sunscreen, apply sunscreen before applying insect repellent.
- To protect your child from mosquito bites:
o Do not use insect repellent on babies younger than 2 months old.
o For children younger than 3 years old, do not use products containing oil of lemon eucalyptus or PMD.
o Dress your child in clothing that covers arms and legs.
o Cover cribs, strollers, and baby carriers with mosquito netting.
o Do not apply insect repellent onto a child's hands, eyes, mouth, or cut or irritated skin.
o Adults: Spray insect repellent onto your hands and then apply to a child's face.
Using Mosquito Repellent
CDC recommends using products containing active ingredients registered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for use as repellents applied to skin and clothing. An EPA registration indicates the active ingredients of repellents have been tested for human safety when applied according to the instructions on the label. When used as directed, EPA-registered insect repellents are proven safe and effective, even for pregnant and breast-feeding women.
To see if a mosquito repellent is registered by the EPA, look for its registration number on the package, which usually is written as "EPA Reg." or check the EPA Web site.
Learn more about the Zika virus and find information on prevention, symptoms, and risks on the CDC Web site and on the American Mosquito Control Association Web site.
For general information about managing mosquitoes, reducing breeding habitats, and using insect repellent, see the UC IPM Pest Notes: Mosquitoes.
/h2>/h2>/h2>