Press Release  Massachusetts Department of Public Health offers summer safety guidance

Boston — With summer approaching, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) reminds residents to take recommended common-sense precautions to keep everyone, especially young children, safe this summer.

“Summer is a time to make the most of the outdoors with family and friends,” said Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein, MD, PhD. “Whether that is spending time in the water, on a hike, at the park, or in the backyard, taking a few simple precautions can help make these seasonal activities as safe as they are fun.”

Prevent Tick Bites

Certain kinds of ticks can bite and make you sick with diseases like Lyme disease and Powassan virus. Ticks are most commonly found in damp, grassy, brushy, or wooded areas, including your own backyard. Follow these steps to help protect yourself from tick bites:

• Use tick repellents with an EPA-registered active ingredient; always follow the directions on the label.
• Weather permitting, wear long-sleeved, light-colored shirts and long pants tucked into socks. This will help keep ticks away from your skin and make it easier to spot ticks on your clothing.
• After spending time outdoors, a shower can help rinse off a tick before it becomes attached and putting your clothes in the dryer on high heat for 10 minutes can help kill ticks.
• Check yourself for ticks once a day; if you find an attached tick, remove it promptly using fine tweezers or a tick removal tool.
• Pets that spend time outdoors are exposed to ticks, too, and may bring ticks back inside. Talk to your veterinarian about the best ways to protect your animals from ticks and tick-borne disease.

Prevent Mosquito Bites

There were four human cases of the mosquito-borne disease Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) and 18 of West Nile virus (WNV) in Massachusetts last year. The risk for human infection of EEE or WNV starts to increase in mid to late summer and DPH posts updates about local risk throughout the season on the Massachusetts Arbovirus Update page.

To prepare for mosquito season:

• Drain standing water in and around your house or yard to prevent mosquito breeding.
• Repair window and door screens to keep mosquitoes out of your home.
• Use a mosquito repellent with an EPA-registered ingredient according to the directions.
• Wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and socks to reduce exposed skin when weather permits.

For more information about preventing mosquito and tickborne illness, visit DPH’s Mosquitoes and Ticks page.

Prevent Rabies Exposures

All mammals (animals with fur) can get rabies and more than 100 rabid animals are usually found every year in Massachusetts. Most of these are wild animals like raccoons, skunks, bats, woodchucks, and foxes, but some pets (especially cats) and farm animals also get rabies.

People are most commonly exposed to the rabies virus when an infected animal bites them, or when the animal’s saliva gets into a scratch or the person’s eyes, nose, or mouth. People who are bitten or scratched by an animal, or who find a bat in a room where someone was sleeping, or with a young child or pet, should call their local board of health or the DPH Division of Epidemiology at 617-983-6800 for advice.

Other rabies prevention steps include:

• Teach children never to approach animals they don’t know – even if they appear friendly.
• Report any animal that seems sick or injured to the local animal control official.
• Enjoy wild animals from a distance and do not keep wild animals as pets.
• Make sure pets are vaccinated against rabies. By law, all dogs, cats, and ferrets must be regularly vaccinated against rabies.
• Don’t leave food or water for pets outside. Even empty bowls will attract wild and stray animals.
• Do not let pets roam freely. Keep them in a fenced yard or on a leash.
• Keep garbage securely covered. Open garbage will attract wild or stray animals.
• Keep chimneys capped and repair holes in attics, cellars, and porches to help keep wild animals like bats and raccoons out of the house.

Water and Pool Safety

Drowning is a leading cause of death among young children, nationally and in Massachusetts. To help prevent water-related injury and drowning:

• Only swim at or within designated swimming areas. Swimming outside of the designated swimming areas, or at waterfronts where swimming is prohibited, can be dangerous.  
• Keep a close eye on children near the water. Parents and other guardians serve as the first and primary line of safety for their children.
• Use the buddy system and always tell someone where you are going.
• Teach children to always ask permission before going near the water.
• Do not dive headfirst into the water.
• Do not swim during a storm or when there is lightning. 
• Do not swim beyond your skillset.
• For those who cannot swim, keep to shallow areas or use a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket.DPH, in cooperation with the USCG, has created a fit test video that can assist with proper fit testing of life jackets: https://youtu.be/1I3VZf-NqPc.  
• Do not use toys such as “water wings” or “noodles” in place of life jackets. These are not designed to keep swimmers safe.
• Enroll children in swimming lessons. Each year, the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) provides free swimming lessons to children at select pools across the state in July and August through the Learn to Swim program. DCR will open registration for its Learn to Swim program on June 14, 2025.

In public swimming areas:

• If caught in a rip current, do not swim against it. Swim parallel to the shoreline to escape it and then at an angle toward the beach.
• If a person in your group goes missing, check the water and notify lifeguards and park staff immediately.
• Look for signage at beaches. DPH collects beach water quality data and notifies the public about bacteria levels to minimize swimming-associated illness and injury.

Consider becoming a lifeguard: DCR is recruiting lifeguards to work at agency-managed inland and coastal beaches, as well as swimming pools. Candidates can earn up to $27/hr and can still earn up to $750 in bonuses. For more information, visit DCR’s lifeguarding website.

Helmet Safety

A helmet can protect you from serious injury, like concussions and skull fractures, and death when biking, rollerblading, skateboarding, using a scooter, or an all-terrain vehicle (ATV). Helmets should be worn at all times by all riders, regardless of age, ability, purpose, or duration of activity.

• A helmet should fit properly and be worn consistently, be well-maintained, age-appropriate, and appropriately certified for use. All helmets should have a secure buckle to keep them from falling off on impact.
• It is important to avoid hits to the head, even while wearing a helmet.

Window Safety

Falls are the leading cause of injury to children. Falls from windows involving young children are especially serious – and preventable. Screens are not strong enough to protect children from falling out of windows. To prevent window falls, parents and caregivers should:

• Keep furniture – and anything a child can climb on – away from windows.
• Open windows from the top, not the bottom, when possible and lock all unopened doors and windows.
• Be sure children are always supervised.
• Install quick-release window guards which can be found in most hardware stores.

To learn more about childhood injury prevention, visit the DPH Injury Prevention and Control Program website.

Car Safety

Leaving children and animals inside of a vehicle can be very dangerous. In the summer months in New England, the temperature in a closed car can rise quickly, and the vehicle can become a deadly place for a child or animal left in it, even for just a moment.

To keep young children and animals safe in and around cars:

• Never leave children or animals alone in a parked vehicle, even when they are asleep or restrained, and even if the windows are open.
• Always check inside the vehicle – front and back – before locking the door and walking away.
• If a child is missing, check your vehicle first, including the trunk.
• Do things to remind yourself that a child or animal is in the vehicle, such as placing your purse or briefcase in the back seat so you will check there when you leave the vehicle.
• Always lock your car and keep the keys out of children’s reach.
• Ensure adequate supervision when children are playing in areas near parked motor vehicles.

If you see a child or animal alone in a hot vehicle, call the police. If they are in distress due to heat, get them out as quickly as possible and call 911 immediately.

All children ages 12 and under should ride in the back seat, properly restrained, even during quick errand trips. Infants and toddlers should remain in rear-facing car seats until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their car safety seat manufacturer. More information on child passenger safety is available on the DPH website. 

Sun and Heat Protection

Climate change is increasing the number, as well as the intensity, of extreme heat events in Massachusetts. High temperatures and increased sun exposure mean that additional precautions should be taken when spending time outside, either recreationally or on the job, to reduce the risk of heat-related illnesses, such as heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke.  

• Seek shade and take breaks from the sun throughout the day. Use air conditioning if available - otherwise, use fans, take cool showers, or visit public cooling centers.
• Make sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day. Drinks like coffee and soda that contain caffeine may dehydrate, so they should be followed with water.  
• Wear sunglasses, sunscreen (SPF of at least 30) 15-20 minutes before going outside and reapply every two hours, and wear protective clothing to avoid sunburn.
• When possible, limit outdoor activities during the hottest hours (10 a.m. – 4 p.m.), seek shade and wear light, breathable clothing.
• Check for Heat-Related Symptoms, including unusually heavy sweating, shortness of breath, dizziness, and more.
• Avoid outdoor activity when air quality is low. An air quality monitoring map is available on the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection page.

To stay informed with real-time heat forecasts and community resources to help you plan, prepare, and respond to unhealthy heat in Massachusetts visit the Unhealthy Heat Forecast Website.

Additional tips on sun and heat protection can be found on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Extreme Heat and Your Health Website or the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) website.

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