Author: Scott Coleman
“Fight the Bite” poster contest winners with DHHS leaders.
April 25, 2019 – Every year, ticks and mosquitoes transmit infections to residents across North Carolina. Almost 1,000 cases of tick- and mosquito-borne infections like Rocky Mountain spotted fever, La Crosse encephalitis and West Nile virus were reported in North Carolina in 2018.
April is Tick and Mosquito Awareness Month in North Carolina, and a campaign developed by DHHS’ Division of Public Health (DPH) called “Fight the Bite” highlights the importance of outreach and education regarding tick- and mosquito-borne diseases.
The campaign also educates people about how to avoid tick and mosquito habitats and reduce breeding sites near their homes. As part of Fight the Bite, DPH holds a student poster contest.
“The goal of Fight the Bite is to generate awareness of these diseases and to teach people how to prevent them,” said Alexis M. Barbarin, State Public Health Entomologist. “Students and teachers have truly embraced this campaign by creating posters that are both artistic and reinforce our messaging encouraging action to prevent tick- and mosquito-borne diseases.”
This year, the Fight the Bite campaign received more than 165 poster entries from students across the state. Posters were judged on both their creativity and content by staff in the DPH’s Communicable Disease Branch.
Fight the Bite student art work.
Matt Herr, the Chief of Staff for Health Services at DHHS, presented the awards to the following poster contest winners:
Kindergarten – 4th Grade:
• 1st Place: 4th grader, Marissa Dolan of Rolesville. Marissa attends Sanford Creek Elementary School
• 2nd Place: 3rd grader, Lillian Lockamy of Randleman. Lillian attends Level Cross Elementary School.
• 3rd Place: 4th grader, Aytumn Leak attends Creekside Elementary School in Durham.
5th – 8th Grade:
• 1st Place: 8th grader, Van Woodruff from Red Oak Middle School in Battleboro.
• 2nd Place: 7th grader, Addison Brumfield from Red Oak Middle School in Battleboro.
• 3rd Place: 8th grader, Kayla M. Parker from Red Oak Middle School in Battleboro.
9th – 12th:
• 1st Place: 12th grader, Helen Solomon of High Point. Helen attends Southwest Guilford High School.
• 2nd Place: 12th grader, Madison Craig of Thomasville. Madison attends Ledford High School.
• 3rd Place: 10th grader, Gianna Pettit of Clayton. Gianna attends Corinth Holders High School.
Winning posters will be printed and distributed to schools and local health departments throughout North Carolina. Posters will also be used in DPH’s education and outreach programming encouraging tick and mosquito borne disease prevention throughout the next year.
To Fight the Bite, Barbarin recommends removing standing water from homes and yards and creating a tick safe zone through landscaping are good places to start. Learn more about how to reduce exposure to mosquitos and ticks.