Mommy Minute: Infections that spike in summer months

It isn’t cold and flu season, but summer does bring certain risks when it comes to infections. For example, the stomach bug is especially contagious as people gather in crowds.

“A lot of GI bugs can happen really frequently in the summertime and sometimes spoil people’s vacations,” said Dr. Shawn Safford, pediatric surgeon for UPMC.

For prevention of stomach bugs, handwashing is key, according to Safford.

Another contagious illness that spikes in the summer is hand, foot and mouth.

“Rashes, fevers, achiness, those are things that you need to think about,” Safford said. “And generally the good news is it’s self-limiting for the most part. So it goes away, but it’s very infectious. So we need to be cautious of that.”

Other concerns this time of year stem from diseases from ticks and mosquitoes. To prevent Lyme Disease, Safford said to shower within two hours of being outdoors.

“It doesn’t necessarily remove the tick, but what we see is in studies it reduces the chances of getting Lyme Disease,” he said. “And we look at large studies and probably it’s because we probably notice the tick and someone plucks it off in the meantime. But really that first two hours, it is not actually attached and the risk of transmission of any disease in that two hour window is pretty minimal.”

Safford also said West Nile is making a comeback. To prevent mosquito bites, he says to make sure windows have screens, dump standing water on your property and use a bug spray that contains DEET.

So far this year, West Nile virus has been found in mosquitoes in seven Pennsylvania counties, including Adams and York. No human cases have been reported yet this year.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27.