Outdoor Safety

Gun violence affects the lives of many Vermonters each year. Firearm-related injuries and deaths are preventable and we can all play a role in creating safer communities.

Winter Weather Can Affect Your Health The cold can cause frostbite or hypothermia and can contribute to heart attacks when shoveling snow. Icy conditions can cause slips and falls when walking and crashes while driving. Plus, climate change is causing...

Vermont's lakes, rivers and swimming holes are an important part of our recreational landscape. Whether boating, swimming or just splashing around, here are tips to safely enjoy water activities.

Powassan virus disease is a rare but serious illness caused by the bite of an infected tick. Three species of ticks found in Vermont can transmit the virus, but only one of these species – the blacklegged tick – commonly...

Anaplasmosis is a tickborne disease caused the bacterium Anaplasma phagocytophilum. It is spread by the bite of infected blacklegged ticks, the same tick that transmits Lyme disease, babesiosis, Borrelia miyamotoi disease and Powassan virus. It is also possible for Anaplasma...

Borrelia miyamotoi is a bacterium recently recognized to cause disease in humans. Although it sounds similar to the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi, Borrelia miyamotoi is more closely related to the bacteria that causes tickborne relapsing fever. The...

In motor vehicle crashes, people walking, biking and rolling are more vulnerable to injuries and death. These injuries and deaths are preventable. Whether you drive a car, walk, or bike, there are ways we can all be safer when using...

In Vermont mosquito season begins in spring but does not typically pose a health risk until the summer months. Take precautions against mosquito bites to protect yourself from mosquito-borne diseases.

Be Tick Smart! Take steps to prevent bites, learn how to do tick checks, how to properly remove a tick, and the signs and symptoms of tickborne diseases.

Six tick species are known to bite humans in Vermont, and five can transmit diseases. But nearly all tickborne diseases reported to the Health Department are caused by the blacklegged tick.