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Students from 23 States and Puerto Rico Win “Fight the Bite” Poster Contest Sponsored by CDC and DEET Education Program, Contest Raises Awareness about Preventing Mosquito and Tick Bites

This year students from 23 states and Puerto Rico have won awards in the “Fight the Bite” poster contest, co-sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the DEET Education Program. Begun in 2007, the contest invites fifth- and sixth-graders to create educational posters encouraging children and adults to protect themselves against mosquito and tick bites and the diseases they can cause.

Adam Carr, 11, of Tampa, won the national sixth-grade Grand Prize, and Devayani Varma, 10, of Davis, Calif., won the national fifth-grade Grand Prize. Both were honored today (June 18) during a ceremony at CDC’s facility in Fort Collins, Colo.

Adam and Devayani each received a $1,000 U.S. Savings Bond and framed certificate. State winners will receive a $50 bond and award certificate (list on page two, posters at www.fightthebitecontest.com).

Devayani attends Marguerite Montgomery Elementary in Davis. Adam is homeschooled. “Adam does artwork everyday as part of his studies, including history, science and art history,” his mother Kelly said. “He did research on repellents and insects before he started drawing the poster.”

Devayani is “an excellent all-around student,” according to her teacher, Mary Schembri. “She’s creative and shows real initiative, which is exemplified by this award.”

Emily Zielinski-Gutierrez, DrPH, a CDC medical anthropologist and creator of the contest, said: “Clearly, health educators around the U.S. are doing an exceptional job talking about ways to protect against mosquito and ticks bites, because we saw some terrific entries that emphasized the practical ways to avoid bites and prevent disease. I was thrilled to see so many creative posters, and I hope that all the students who entered learned more about this important issue while doing this project.

“We are delighted with the posters created by Devayani and Adam,” said Susan Little, executive director of the DEET Education Program (www.deetonline.org), which operates under the auspices of the Consumer Specialty Products Association. “Their entries are attractive, creative and informative, with a fun aspect to them.”

The contest judges included Zielinski-Gutierrez; Little; Ken August, development director, National Public Health Information Coalition; Joe Conlon, technical advisor, American Mosquito Control Association; Gary Cox, JD, director, Oklahoma City-County Health Department; Sandi Delack, RN, president, National Association of School Nurses; and Lyle Petersen, MD, MPH, director of CDC’s vector-borne disease division.

Public health educators and school nurses are being encouraged to include the posters in their educational materials.

Consumers can find information about diseases from mosquito and tick bites, repellent use and other prevention strategies, such as limiting standing water to reduce mosquitoes and landscape modification to discourage ticks, at websites such as www.cdc.gov/westnile, www.cdc.gov/lyme, and www.deetonline.org.

Available domestically since 1957, DEET is the world’s most widely used active ingredient in insect repellents. The CDC and other leading health authorities have long recommended these repellents. The American Academy of Pediatrics says repellents with up to 30 percent DEET can be used on children as young as two months of age.

The DEET Education Program is sponsored by Clariant Corp., S.C. Johnson & Son Inc., 3M Company and Vertellus Specialty Materials.

STATE WINNERS