Summer Safety Camp Hinsch

1. Summer SafetyCamp Hinsch • Poison Ivy, Oak and Sumac • Chiggers • Ticks • Mosquitoes • Snakes

2. These two plants always appears nondescript, making victims wonder what exactly gave them the itchy rash a day or two later. With either species, there is one reliable truism: "Leaflets Three, Let It Be." • Poison Oak and Ivy ALWAYS grow their leaves in groups of three. It doesn’t matter if the leaves look like ivy leaves, oak leaves or have a simple oval shape. • Look for the pattern of three leaflets branching from a single, independent stem. • You’ll find two leaves attached directly to the stalk, opposite each other. • The third leaf will jut from between them on a short stem, forming a distinct T pattern. In dry weather the leaves may droop, making the pattern hard to identify. Poison Ivy and Poison Oak

3. Poison Sumac, also known as Swamp Sumac and Poison Elder, also mimics the plants growing nearby. It’s commonly found as a multi-branched bush, but sometimes as a tree up to 25 feet tall. T. Vernix has a completely different leaf pattern. Its leaves grow in pairs of 6-12 leaves on a reddish stem with a single leaf at the end. The leaves have smooth edges that end with a point. • The second clue to identifying the Toxicodendron Trio is that their leaves tend to have a dull gloss, especially in the Spring when the foliage is new. This sheen is the toxic oil that coats all parts of the plant: Urushiol (pronounced you-ROO-she-all). If the plant is growing in a dusty area, the sheen will be less obvious. The toxic oil is not affected. Poison Sumac

4. Symtoms Upon contact with any of these three plants, the oil binds to the skin. The first time this happens, the body recognizes this "attack" and prepares an immune response. A person seldom has a reaction to the first contact, but the immune system certainly does. For the second encounter, the immune system is poised to launch a severe allergic reaction. When brushing against one of these nuisances again, the Urushiol oil triggers a powerful reaction. Like a mosquito bite, but 1,000 times worse, the immune system tries to eliminate the areas of the skin that made contact with the plant. Those areas of skin begin to itch like mad. Scratching the itch only makes it worse, because scratching increases the immune system’s response, and can spread the Urushiol to unaffected areas. The rash usually appears within a couple of days after contact with the plant's oils. The worst stage is often from days 4 to 7. The rash may last for 1 to 3 weeks.

5. First Aid Wash the skin thoroughly with soap and warm water. Because the resin enters skin quickly, try to wash it off within 30 minutes. A product called Tecnu, available in camping stores and some pharmacies, is very effective at removing the oils. Scrub under the fingernails with a brush to prevent the resin from spreading to other parts of the body. Wash clothing and shoes with soap and hot water. Resin can linger on them. Body heat and sweating can aggravate the itching. Stay cool and apply cool compresses to your skin. Calamine lotion and hydrocortisone cream can be applied to the skin to reduce itching and blistering. Bathing in lukewarm water with an oatmeal bath product, available in drugstores, may soothe itchy skin. Aluminum acetate (Domeboro solution) soaks can also help to dry the rash and reduce itching. If creams, lotions, or bathing do not stop the itching, antihistamines may be helpful. In severe cases, especially rash around the face or genitals, a physician may prescribe oral or injected steroids.

6. When to Seek Medical Attention • Itching is severe and cannot be controlled. • The rash affects face, lips, eyes, or genitals. • The rash shows signs of infection, such as pus, yellow fluid leaking from blisters, odor, or increased tenderness. Call 911 or go to an emergency room if: • Someone is suffering a severe allergic reaction, such as swelling or difficulty breathing, or has had a severe reaction in the past. • Someone has been exposed to the smoke of a burning plant.

7. Chiggers Facts About Chiggers • Chiggers, which are also called harvest mites or red bugs, are very small and can not usually be seen without a magnifying glass or microscope. Their 'bite' also isn't usually noticeable, which is why a person usually doesn’t know they were around chiggers until they start itching and notice the rash about 12 or 24 hours later. • Once on the body, they typically move around looking for a good place to feed, which is usually a thin layer of skin. They will also begin to feed if they reach a barrier, such as the waistband of clothes or an armpit. • Chiggers don't really bite in the traditional sense, like a mosquito does. Instead, they attach themselves to the skin, inject saliva with digestive enzymes that helps to break down the skin cells, which the chigger drinks. It is these enzymes that cause the itchy rash. • Although chiggers can stay attached to the skin for several days and continue eating, they are very easily brushed off and are usually knocked off once a person begins to scratch the rash or take a shower or bath. That is why it can be a good idea to have kids take a quick shower or bath after they have been playing outside in any type of 'wild' areas. Another good reason is to wash off any insect repellent that had been applied.

8. Treatments for Chigger Bites • Take a bath or shower as soon as possible after any possible exposure to chiggers. • Apply OTC anti-itch medication, such as hydrocortisone, Calamine lotion, Sarna, oatmeal baths, etc. • Oral Benadryl. • A prescription strength steroid cream. • Although chiggers in North America don't usually carry any diseases, the bites themselves can get infected. Chiggers vs. Chicken Pox Although chigger bites are often more annoying than dangerous, one problem is that they are often confused with chicken pox. The fact that chigger bites are usually concentrated along a child's waist, ankles, neck, and arm pits, usually help to distinguish chigger bites from a mild case of chicken pox.

9. Ticks • If you are going to be spending any time outdoors during the Spring and Summer, it is important to learn to protect your family from diseases that can be caused by ticks, including: Lyme disease Rocky Mountain spotted fever babesiosis ehrlichiosis Q-fever Southern tick-associated rash illness tick-borne relapsing fever tularemia Colorado tick fever • Unfortunately, no matter how careful one isin trying to protect kids from tick bites, occasionally you will find a tick on a child and you will need to remove it. Removing a tick quickly is important, because the longer it is attached to the child, the more likely that the child will get infected with one of the tick borne illnesses described above.

10. Removing a Tick • Once you find a tick, it is important to know how to remove it. The longer the tick stays attached to the child, especially if it is longer than 48 hours, the more likely that the child is going to get sick with something like Lyme disease. To get ready to remove the tick, you should have: • fine tweezers. • gloves or a tissue so that you can avoid touching the tick. • a small jar where you can put the tick (this makes identification easier in case the child gets sick). • an antiseptic to clean the area of the tick bite and your hands after you remove it. • As demonstrated in the picture above, you should use your tweezers to grab the tick as close as possible to your child's skin. • After using your tweezers to grab the tick as close as possible to your child's skin, you should gently pull it straight up.

11. Mosquitoes Top 5 Mosquito Facts • Mosquito is Spanish for "little fly". • Only female mosquitoes bite. Mosquitoes are attracted to heat, light, perspiration, body odor, lactic acid and carbon dioxide. • Treat mosquito bites by washing them with soap and water. Avoid scratching the bite area by using anti-itch medicines, such as Calamine lotion. Typically, you do not need to seek medical attention (unless dizzy or nauseated, which may indicate a severe allergic reaction to the bite). • There are many diseases that can be caused by a mosquito bite, including: • Malaria • Yellow Fever • Encephalitis • Dengue Fever • There are 3 basic things you can do to repel mosquitoes: • Wear clothing that covers most of your body • Use a mosquito repellant that contains NN-diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET) • Eliminate sources of standing water in your area to prevent mosquitoes from breeding

12. Snakes • Tennessee is home to 32 species of snakes; 4 of which are venomous. Poisonous is not the correct terminology (poison is ingested and venom is injected). All of Tennessee's venomous snakes are from the Pit Viper family. They get that name from having a heat sensing pit just behind each nostril, which they use in sensing their prey. The 4 Venomous Snakes of Tennessee are: • Northern and Southern Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortix) • Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) • Western Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus) • Western Pigmy Rattlesnake (Sisturus miliarius) • Of all the venomous snakes in Tennessee, the Cottonmouth has the meanest temperament. They will stand their ground when encountered, and they will give you a good dose of venom with each bite. Contrary to old wives tales, the Cottonmouth can bite underwater. All snakes in Tennessee have white mouths; so do not base your identification of a Cottonmouth on that criterion alone. • The Timber and Western Pigmy Rattlesnakes are easier to identify because both have a button at the end of their tails that they rattle in self-defense, to warn predators away (they add a button each year as they shed their skin). The buttons are extremely fragile, so determining the age of the snake cannot be determined from the amount of buttons present. If the Rattlesnake is startled and must defend itself in an instant, then it will not rattle its tail.The Copperhead is a relatively shy snake, but they account for the most reported bites each year in Tennessee. They will inject venom based on the amount required to render its prey inactive. They know that they cannot digest a human, so roughly 50% of their bites are dry bites; meaning that when they bite, no venom is injected.

13. Snake Bites What to do if someone is bitten: • The First thing to do is remain calm. Snakebites in Tennessee carry a lower risk of death, than just getting into a car and driving through rush hour traffic. The most severe problem is not the chance of death, but tissue damage to the bite area. • Keep the Bite area below the Heart. • Do not apply a tourniquet; if you restrict the flow of venom into a small area, then the victim will suffer greater tissue damage to the bite area. • Do not give the victim aspirin; it will thin the blood, and cause the venom to spread more than it normally would. • Do not apply ice to the bite area.. The most severe problem with snakebites is tissue damage. The application of ice greatly increases the chances of amputation of the limb containing the bite area. Copperhead Snake Timber Rattlesnake Western Pigmy Rattlesnake Southern Cottonmouth

14. Playing in the Heat Safety Tips • Use these simple precautions to avoid heat-related illnesses: • Be sure you and children drink lots of water throughout the day before becoming thirsty. • Supervise children playing or exercising in the heat and watch for signs of heat distress. • Make sure children take frequent breaks to rest and cool down. • If possible, exercise or play in a shady area. • Wear loose-fitting, lightweight clothing that breathes. • Be especially cautious if it is very humid. Excessive humidity makes it harder for the body to cool itself through sweating. Limit the duration of practices and provide frequent breaks. • If symptoms of heat exhaustion appear, stop the activity right away, move to a cool spot and take lots of water. • If heat stroke is apparent, seek emergency medical attention right away. • Become familiar with symptoms of dehydration, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

15. Sun Safety Safety Tips • It’s ideal to keep children out of the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. – midday is when the sun’s rays are the strongest. • Keep infants under six months in the shade. Babies and young children have thinner skin than adults. • Dress children in loose, dry, lightweight, light-colored, cotton clothing. • Have a child wear a hat and sunglasses with UV protection to protect the eyes. • Use waterproof sunscreen that has a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher. First, test a small area on the child to see if the sunscreen will cause a rash. Then put the lotion on any exposed areas of the body except for the upper eyelids. Don’t forget the tops of the ears. • Know that children with light hair, light eyes and fair skin will sunburn more quickly and should use a sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher. • Be sure to use sunscreen on cloudy days, in the shade and in winter, too. UV rays can penetrate through clouds and hazy skies, and they can reflect off the ground—off sand, concrete, snow and more. So don’t be unprotected. • Know that the sun’s rays are stronger when you’re in or near the water because the rays reflect off the water. • Offer plenty of water to children, even if they’re not thirsty. • Know the signs of heat exhaustion: dizziness, nausea, weakness, headache or stomach cramps. Remove a child from the sun if he is experiencing any of these symptoms. Provide rest and plenty of fluids.