A Small Black Tick Sitting On Top Of A Persons Finger — Ticks are not very large, but it is important to check for them on your body after being outdoors. (Erik Karits on Unsplash)

The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) is urging residents to keep themselves safe as ticks and mosquitoes come back out with the warm weather.

Ticks and mosquitoes transmit several diseases with symptoms that can range from rashes to neurological complications:

Mosquito-borne diseases: West Nile virus, Eastern equine encephalitis, La Crosse encephalitis
Tick-borne diseases: Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis, and spotted fever rickettsiosis

Alabama has few cases of tick-born e and mosquito-borne diseases each year; in the last reported year, 2024, there were 128 reported cases of six tick-borne diseases, and in 2025, there were 41 total cases reported among nine mosquito-borne diseases (four of those diseases are travel related and generally contracted out of state).

Even so, there are easy methods to prevent insect bites and the potentially dangerous diseases that can come alongside them. Here’s what ADPH recommends:

Use EPA-registered insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535 or oil of lemon eucalyptus
Wear long sleeves and pants when outdoors, especially in wooded or grassy areas
Check for ticks daily, especially after outdoor activities, because ticks are commonly found in brushy and wooded areas throughout Alabama
Remove standing water around homes to prevent mosquito breeding
Maintain window and door screens to keep insects out

Peak exposure times for mosquitoes are at dawn and desk. Ticks are most often encountered in grassy, wooded or leaf-covered environments year-round.

Many mosquito-borne viruses and parasites are not common in the continental U.S., so overseas travelers should take special precaution ahead of trips. You can talk to your healthcare provider about malaria prevention medicine.

You should contact a healthcare provider if you or a family member experience symptoms such as fever, severe headache, rash, muscle aches or fatigue following an insect bite. Early treatment is important to prevent complications.

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