Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services
06/14/04

Contact:
Alyce Turner
Health Educator
Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services
Section for Communicable Disease Prevention
930 Wildwood PO Box 570
Jefferson City, MO 65102-0570
Phone: 573-751-6439
Fax: 573-751-6447
E-Mail: TurneA1@dhss.mo.gov
Toll-free: 866-628-9891

Lewis and Clark- West Nile Virus Style

Traditionally, Memorial Day is a time of commemoration. This Memorial Day, and through the summer, Missourians have a unique opportunity to participate in a variety of Lewis and Clark events across our state. These events will commemorate these brave explorers who withstood harsh elements to complete their mission of opening the west to exploration, trade, and development.

As part of this commemoration, DHSS has developed a Lewis and Clark - West Nile virus themed public health campaign to illustrate how these brave explorers found ticks and mosquitoes to be very troublesome when they came to Missouri and how they protected themselves against the bugs. The theme will tie in historical facts of insect problems to current-day public health issues of insect-borne disease and prevention messages.

For protection against ticks and mosquitoes on their journey across Missouri, the men of Lewis and Clark’s Corps of Discovery covered their bodies with bear grease by day and slept under mosquito netting at night. But today we can do better than bear grease. The public health message is that insect repellents containing DEET are safe and effective for all ages and help us avoid bites that could cause disease.

As part of the summer tick and mosquito bite prevention campaign, print materials using this theme will be available in June from DHSS’s Vector Control Program. In addition, the 55 Missourinet radio stations in out-state Missouri will air radio public service announcements with a Lewis and Clark theme from May 25 through June 4 th . A mid-June broadcast campaign will expand to television. To learn more about Lewis and Clark events check online atwww.lewisandclark.state.mo.us . For more information, contact Alyce Turner with the Section for Communicable Disease Prevention at turneA1@dhss.mo.gov, or toll free at 866-628-9891.

Go Back to where you were.