​​Now that summer is here, many of us will be outdoors enjoying the warmer weather and being more active. This is wonderful for our health and wellness in general, and we certainly encourage everyone to enjoy the summer time!

We also encourage everyone to be careful. As health care professionals, we know that along with all the good things summer brings – like more sunshine – there are season-specific hazards to our health. These can range from wildlife or insect bites to sunburn / heatstroke to accidental wounds/infections. 

To help you stay healthy, safe and well this and every summer, we have compiled some useful information about some of the common seasonal health hazards and how to avoid or prevent them. Please click on the links for the information!

Be Wildlife and Insect Aw​are​

Know how to stay safe around wildlife. Also, know that an effective way to avoid wildlife encounters in the first place is to keep your food and garbage secure and contained.

Know what to do if you find sick, injured, or dead wildlife. If you are touched by a bat or bitten/scratched by a wild animal, it is crucial to seek medical care, wash the wound well, and begin preventative treatment for rabies as soon as possible. Rabies is a very serious disease that is fatal if not treated immediately

Know how to protect yourself and your loved ones against insect bites. Also see:

• Tick Bites and Disease
• West Nile Virus​
  
• Insect Repellents and DEET
  

Stay protected with routine immunizations​​

It is important to keep up to date with all vaccines for all ages, especially now that we are seeing a return of vaccine-preventable diseases following the reduction of pandemic infection-control practices such as masking and social distancing. It is also important to continue infection-control practices such as staying home when sick.

Summer is an especially good time to make sure you are vaccinated against tetanus, a bacteria that lives in the dirt. Tetanus can enter the body through a cut or wound and create a toxin that can be fatal. For more information on tetanus and tetanus vaccines see:

• Preventing Tetanus Infections
  

Be food-safe s​​avvy

Barbeques, camping and picnics are all fun activities, but it's super important to be food-safe savvy so your fun is not spoiled by accidental food poisoning, including salmonella. (Cases of salmonella must be reported to the provincial department of health to help ensure public safety.) For information on summer food safety, see:​

• Summer Food Safety
• Disinfecting Drinking Water
• Giardia Infection 
• Cryptosporidium Infection
  

Be sun smart

Here are some resources to help you to safely enjoy the sunny weather:

• Beat the Heat
• Protecting Your Skin From the Sun
• Sun Safety for Children
• Sunburn

Safely enjoy out​​​door activities

Summertime is for enjoying recreational activities in the great outdoors – from swimming, to fishing, to boating, to hiking, to shellfish harvesting. Here is some information that will help ensure you enjoy them safely:

• Safety Tips for Swimmers
• Swimmer's Itch
• Fish Hook Injuries
• Boating Safety
• Cyanobacteria Blooms (Blue-green Algae)
• Shellfish Safety for First Nations Harvesters – Human Illness from Closed Shellfish Areas (fnha.ca)
• Preventing Injuries ​
  

We hope that you found this information useful and that it will help you to have a happy, healthy, and safe summer!​​