Summer Safety

As the 4th of July nears, our thoughts turn to vacations, picnics, & fireworks. Being outdoors can bring some challenges & special things to consider.

Dehydration
It's easy to become dehydrated during our NC summers. Dehydrated means that your body has less fluids than it needs. These fluids can come from water, some other drinks, & foods with high water content (e.g., fruits & vegetables). It's important to hydrate well every day-- even if you're not doing anything strenuous. Exercising or spending time in the heat & humidity will often demand even more fluids, etc. Check out the National Library of Medicine's Dehydration & Heat Emergencies pages to learn more. Scroll down below the dehydration article for related topics.

Sunscreen
Most people have heard that the sun's rays can cause sunburn & skin cancer. So, experts recommend routinely wearing sunscreen. However, there's a lot of outdated or incorrect information floating around. For example, most people don't use enough sunscreen & don't apply it often enough. The American Academy of Dermatology's Sunscreen FAQs share what you need to know. Don't forget to protect your eyes with sunglasses, too.

Stinging Insects
What a pain (literally)! For many people, getting bit or stung is merely annoying. However, some:
- diseases can be transmitted by mosquitos. For more info & ways to protect yourself, check out the NC Department of Public Health's Mosquito-borne Illness & WebMD's Chikungunya Virus.
- people can be allergic. The Centers for Disease Control's Insects page recommends how to deal with bees, wasps, fire ants, etc. (There's also advice about poisonous plants at the bottom.) If someone begins having an allergic reaction, call 911 promptly. For signs, see the Mayo Clinic's Allergies page.

On that note, some summer traditions (like swimming, small fireworks, etc.) can quickly turn from fun into danger. See what Safe Kids recommends to have safer summer fun.