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Could your child return home from summer camp with Zika?
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No mosquitoes carrying the Zika virus have been found in the U.S. yet, but summer camps are taking precautions just the same. Here's what your family's campers should be packing. - photo by Jennifer Graham
No mosquitoes carrying the Zika virus have been found in the U.S. yet, but with children descending on summer camps across the country, there's renewed interest in how to protect them from mosquito bites.

As NPR reported, camp administrators are stressing the need for insect repellent, particularly in the South, where the type of mosquito associated with Zika is plentiful.

So far, there are 691 known cases of Zika in the U.S., but everyone infected got it through travel or sexual relations, not through Aedes aegypti mosquitoes on American soil. But that's not to say it won't happen, and some scientists say it's inevitable. The World Health Organization has called Zika an international public-health emergency, and there have been calls for the Summer Olympics to be postponed or moved because of its prevalence in Brazil.

Although Zika can cause birth defects when contracted by pregnant women, and has also been linked to a neurological disorder called Guillain-Barre syndrome, most people who get it suffer short-term fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis. In fact, the symptoms are oftens so mild that developing babies can be harmed by an infected mother who doesn't even know she's sick, the CDC says.

Scientists don't know, however, how long the virus lingers, and "it's possible that summer mosquito bites could someday cause the virus to be spread later by sexually active teens," science writer Natalie Jacewicz reported for NPR's Shots.

Children and teens who go to summer camps are particularly vulnerable because they spend so much time outdoors. "If you've got a kid in summer camp, they're wearing shorts or they're wearing swimsuits when they're outside," ecologist Todd Livdahl of Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, told Jacewicz.

So what should campers be packing?

The CDC's guidelines for Zika prevention suggest wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants, and treating clothing and gear with permethrin, a type of insecticide that's generally considered safe (unless you eat it).

According to the University of Rhode Island's Tick Encounter Resource Center, you can treat clothes by either spraying them with permethrin, or soaking them. You can also buy clothes that are already treated, which the Environmental Protection Agency deems safe, even for pregnant and nursing women.

Otherwise, campers should bring insect repellent that contains either DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus, or para-menthane-diol, all ingredients approved by the EPA. (To determine the best bug spray for your family, specific to the time you'll be outside and what type of insect you're most seeking to avoid, the EPA has an online calculator on its website, ww.epa.gov.)

Beyond that, there's not a lot to do besides take comfort in the fact that risk of contracting Zika in the U.S. is exceedingly low for now.

"We will encourage campers to wear repellent and not go to areas of standing water. We will monitor those areas. Other than that, theres not much we can do about Zika. There are probably bigger issues, like sunburn," Phran Edelman, program director of Camp Shoresh in Adamstown, Maryland, told Washington Jewish Week.

There's an easy solution for that one: Pack sunscreen.
Its toxic: New study says blue light from tech devices can speed up blindness
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A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers. - photo by Herb Scribner
It turns out checking Twitter or Facebook before bed is bad for your health.

A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers.

That process can lead to age-related macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to the researchs extract.

Blue light is a common issue for many modern Americans. Blue light is emitted from screens, most notably at night, causing sleep loss, eye strain and a number of other issues.

Dr. Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said our constant exposure to blue light cant be blocked by the lens or cornea.

"It's no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye's retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop, he said.

Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease that often affects those in their 50s or 60s. It occurs after the death of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Those cells need retinal to sense light and help signal the brain.

The research team found blue light exposure created poisonous chemical molecules that killed photoreceptor cells

"It's toxic. If you shine blue light on retinal, the retinal kills photoreceptor cells as the signaling molecule on the membrane dissolves," said Kasun Ratnayake, a Ph.D. student researcher working in Karunarathne's cellular photo chemistry group. "Photoreceptor cells do not regenerate in the eye. When they're dead, they're dead for good."

However, the researchers found a molecule called alpha-tocopherol, which comes from Vitamin E, can help prevent cell death, according to Futurism.

The researchers plan to review how light from TVs, cellphones and tablet screens affect the eyes as well.

"If you look at the amount of light coming out of your cellphone, it's not great but it seems tolerable," said Dr. John Payton, visiting assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "Some cellphone companies are adding blue-light filters to the screens, and I think that is a good idea."

Indeed, Apple released a Night Shift mode two years ago to help quell blue lights strain on the eyes, according to The Verge. The screen will dim into a warmer, orange light that will cause less stress on the eyes.