PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Toward the beginning of the summer, the Multnomah County Health Department reported that this could be the one of worst mosquito seasons yet. Now, a local medical provider is reporting a rise in patients seeking care for insect bites.
According to Kaiser Permanente Northwest Chief of Urgent Care Dr. Anne Toledo, this increase is due to the shifts in weather conditions. She said climate change allows insects that carry diseases to live longer.
Additionally, Vector Control and Code Enforcement Program Supervisor Levi Zahn previously told KOIN 6 that Multnomah County’s earlier, hotter summer temperatures allowed floodwater mosquitoes to develop rapidly.
Most of those insects are merely “nuisance mosquitoes” that don’t pose any serious threat to humans, but the county still urged the public to dispose of any man-made water containers in their backyard to disturb the mosquitoes’ life cycle.
Ticks, a parasitic arthropod, cause more diseases in the U.S. than mosquitoes do. However, only some ticks — such as the blacklegged ticks — can spread infections like Lyme Disease onto humans.
"In Oregon, Lyme disease is very rare and although the western black-legged tick can spread Lyme disease, it is important to know what the other risks are and take preventive measures to protect yourself from these summer pests,” Toledo explained in a statement. “Many ticks are so small — the size of a sesame seed — that people don’t even realize they’ve been bitten until a mark appears or the tick has grown big.”
The doctor added that severe allergic reactions can happen in rare cases. Anyone who notices the signs of infection, including swelling, redness around the insect bite, or a fever, is directed to visit an urgent care.
Kaiser Permanente also advised residents cover their skin and regularly apply bug spray when they visit grassy or wooded areas.
