Governor Proclaims Tick and Mosquito Awareness Month 2024

TICK AND MOSQUITO AWARENESS MONTH

2024

BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA

A PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS, tick- and mosquito-transmitted diseases affect people across the United States and are significant health threats in North Carolina; and

WHEREAS, based on public health surveillance conducted by the NC Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, almost 800 cases of tick- and mosquito-borne diseases were reported among people in North Carolina last year; and

WHEREAS, the tick-borne diseases, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, ehrlichiosis, and Lyme disease, and the mosquito-borne diseases, La Crosse encephalitis, West Nile encephalitis, and eastern equine encephalitis have all been reported in North Carolina and are preventable diseases; and

WHEREAS, North Carolina is monitoring for cases of other mosquito-borne infections associated with travel, such as Zika, chikungunya, malaria, and dengue; and

WHEREAS, effective prevention against tick- and mosquito-borne illness is achievable through scientifically informed and integrated pest management strategies as well as personal protective measures during seasons of high tick and mosquito activity that include wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants, particularly in the early morning and early evening hours to protect against mosquitoes, and use of repellent to prevent mosquito and tick bites, checking daily for ticks, and showering soon after being outdoors; and

WHEREAS, this proclamation creates the opportunity for North Carolina residents and health care providers to learn more about the threat, medical implications and prevention of these diseases;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, ROY COOPER, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim April, 2024, as “TICK AND MOSQUITO AWARENESS MONTH” in North Carolina, and commend its observance to all citizens.

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Roy Cooper

Governor

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina at the Capitol in Raleigh this twenty-seventh day of March in the year of our Lord two thousand and twenty-four and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-eighth.