Our vision: A safe and healthy Kitsap County for all.
Dealing With Mosquitoes
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Creating a Healthy Living Environment
For most of us, we spend more time at home than anywhere else. Our homes – our living environments – can have a profound effect on our physical and mental wellbeing. A healthy living environment is one that protects people from health hazards such as disease vectors, pests, mold, lead, and fire.
Rodents and
Other Pests
Bedbugs
Lead-based
Paint
Mold
Indoor Air
Quality
Smoke and
Carbon Monoxide
Rodents and Other Pests
Health effects: In addition to shedding allergy-causing particles, mice, rats, cockroaches, and other pests can carry a variety of diseases that can infect humans.
Prevention:
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Maintain clean living and cooking areas. Food crumbs, scraps, and spills are an attractive food source for rodents and other household pests.
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If you have an active infestation, make sure that food is stored in pest-proof containers.
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Ensure that external entry points (crawl space and soffit vents, spaces under doors, etc.) are properly sealed.
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If you have birdfeeders, store birdseed in rodent-proof containers and regularly clean up pilled birdseed.
Bedbugs
Health effects: Bedbug infestations can cause physical discomfort (including allergic reactions to bites) and psychological distress. Although unpleasant, bedbugs are not know to carry or transmit human diseases.
Prevention:
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When traveling, inspect sheets, mattresses, and box springs for evidence of bed bug infestation (reddish stains, feces, and eggs/egg casings). Do not stay in a room in which bedbugs are present.
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Do not bring any secondhand furniture into your home without inspecting it for bedbugs.
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Tumble dry clothes and bedding on high to kill attached bedbugs.
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Vacuum carpets and rugs to capture stray bedbugs.
Lead-Based Paint
Health effects: Exposure to lead can have a number of serious health effects, including neurological problems, pain, numbness in the hands and feet, and kidney failure. Lead poisoning is especially dangerous for children, who can suffer permanent developmental damage.
Prevention:
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Inspect and repair cracked, peeling, or damaged lead-based paint.
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Use appropriate safeguards when scraping, sanding, or removing lead-based paint.
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Frequently wash children’s toys and utensils.
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Avoid imported cookware.
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Keep track of lead-related toy and product recalls.
More information:
Mold
Health effects: Exposure to mold can cause allergic reactions like coughing, sneezing, sinus congestion, and eye irritation. Some molds produce toxins that may cause more serious health effects (for example, sick building syndrome), and a few species can cause opportunistic infections in people with weakened immune systems.
Prevention:
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All molds need moisture to grow and reproduce. To prevent or reduce mold growth, be sure to fix any leaks, run the bathroom fan when taking a bath or shower, and reduce humidity (increase air circulation, use a dehumidifier).
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Remove visible mold growth from surfaces using soap or dilute bleach.
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Use HEPA filters to reduce concentrations of airborne spores.
More information:
Indoor Air Quality
Health effects: Poor indoor air quality (inadequate circulation, high CO2 levels, volatile organic compounds, allergens, etc.) can cause discomfort, irritation, and reduced quality of life.
Prevention:
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Improve air circulation (open windows when possible/seasonally appropriate).
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Use HEPA filters to remove irritating particulates.
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Choose less toxic/unscented household cleaning products.
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Avoid storing volatile chemicals (paints, fuels, solvents, etc.) in your home, or store them in the minimum possible amount and in appropriate containers.
Fire and Carbon Monoxide
Health effects: Smoke, fire, and carbon monoxide can be deadly household hazards.
Prevention:
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Install at least one smoke detector on each level of your home, as well as in every bedroom. Install at least one carbon monoxide detector on each level of your home.
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Regularly test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to ensure that they are working properly.
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Have fire extinguishers and know how to use them.
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Have an escape plan.
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Regularly clean your chimney/flue to prevent the buildup of flammable residues.
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Do not use barbeques or gas ovens to heat your home.
Dealing with Mosquitoes
Enjoying the great outdoors in Kitsap County can mean dealing with mosquitoes! Mosquitoes aren't just a nuisance, disease can be spread to people through the bite of an infected mosquito. More than 21 different mosquito species have been identified in Kitsap County, and 13 of these species are vectors for diseases, such as West Nile Virus (WNV). However, it is important to note that there has never been a documented case of WNV in Kitsap County.
Nonetheless, the best way to protect against mosquito-borne disease is to prevent mosquito bites. You can reduce your risk by taking the following steps:
Avoid Mosquito Bites
Stay indoors from dusk to dawn, if possible, when mosquitoes are the most active and looking for a blood meal.
Wear a long sleeve shirt, long pants, socks, and a hat when mosquitoes are biting or when going into mosquito-infested areas, such as wetlands or woods.
Use mosquito repellent. Read the label and carefully follow instructions. Take special care when using repellent on children.
Make sure windows and doors are "bug tight" by installing screens. Repair or replace any torn or poor-fitting screens.
Don't Give Mosquito a Home! Mosquitoes breed in standing water, so eliminate standing water wherever possible
Empty anything that holds standing water such as old tires, buckets, plastic covers, toys, bottles and cans. Recycle unused containers.
Change water in your birdbaths, fountains, wading pools and animal troughs at least twice week.
Make sure roof gutters drain properly; clean clogged gutters.
Fix leaky outdoor faucets and sprinklers.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) offers tips on mosquito control, and The Environmental Protection Agency also has helpful information on mosquito control, including information on how to use mosquito repellents safely.
West Nile Virus (WNV)
WNV can be a serious illness for humans, horses, many species of birds, and other animals. Although the risk of getting WNV is very low, anyone can become infected. People are usually infected via the bite of an infected mosquito. Although WNV-infected mosquitos have never been found in Kitsap County, the virus has been detected in humans, mosquitoes, horses, and birds in Washington state—primarily in Eastern Washington. It is difficult to predict how bad the WNV season may be and whether it will spread further west.
Additional information on the West Nile Virus is available from the Washington State Department of Health (WSDOH) and from the CDC.
Zika
Zika virus disease (Zika) is spread to people through the bite of infected mosquitoes. Only 1 in 5 people infected with Zika will have any symptoms. The most common symptoms are fever, rash, joint pain, and red eyes. The illness is usually mild and lasts a few days to a week.
Washington State does not have the type of mosquitoes (Aedes aegyptiand Aedes albopictus) that are known to carry Zika virus. There is currently no risk for local transmission through mosquitoes. However, people who travel to and from areas where Zika is spreading can return with Zika illness. People who have returned from Zika-affected areas that are pregnant or having symptoms of Zika illness should contact their healthcare provider.
Additional information about the Zika virus is available from the WSDOH and CDC.
Lyme Disease
Lyme disease is NOT transmitted from mosquitoes. Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borelia burgdorferi and is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected blacklegged ticks. More information is available from the WSDOH and CDC.
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