Latest news with #ThomasMather
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
LAWA 2025 Marks 10th Anniversary with New Awards for Schools, Universities, and Changemakers
PETALING JAYA, Malaysia, June 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Talent Corporation Malaysia Berhad (TalentCorp), the strategic think tank under the Ministry of Human Resources (KESUMA), today announced the launch of the LIFE AT WORK Awards 2025 (LAWA 2025), commemorating its 10th anniversary with a renewed commitment to recognise outstanding employers and institutions that champion progressive workplace practices, sustainability, inclusivity, and talent development in Malaysia. Under this year's theme, "Driving Inclusivity, Powering Sustainability," LAWA 2025 introduces three new award categories recognising the important role of schools, universities, and changemakers in shaping a future-ready and inclusive workforce. During her opening remarks, Chairperson of TalentCorp's Board of Directors, YB Ms Wong Shu Qi, announced the new award categories, "LAWA 2025 aims to drive change by not only recognising sustainability and inclusivity efforts within the industry, but also by extending recognition to schools and universities. To this end, LAWA 2025 introduces two new awards for academic institutions, highlighting their role in shaping students into future talents," she said. TalentCorp Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr Thomas Mather, in his welcoming remarks, highlighted that, when LAWA was introduced in 2013, their focus was clear – to support employers in embracing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) as part of how they evolved. "At TalentCorp, we encourage firms and organisations to embrace work-life practices in the workplace. By adopting these principles, we believe they can enhance employee well-being, improve work quality, boost productivity, and foster a positive workplace culture that supports diversity and inclusion," he said. The LAWA 2025 will recognise employers in the following 13 categories with 33 awards to be given for: Best Organisation Award CEO Champion CHRO Champion Women At Work & Leadership Young Graduates Employee Care & Well-being Talent Sustainability Workplace Innovation Corporate Social Responsibility Digital & Tech Excellence Future-Ready University & College (NEW) Future-Ready School (NEW) Changemakers: NGO, NPO, MSME & Others (NEW) LAWA has grown significantly since its inception. In 2024, the awards saw record-breaking participation with over 713 submissions from more than 200 organisations. These submissions represented a diverse range of entities, including public-listed companies (PLCs), multinational corporations (MNCs), small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and public sector organisations. Following a rigorous evaluation process, a total of 38 awards were presented across 14 categories, celebrating excellence and commitment in key areas such as sustainability, inclusivity, and talent development. Submissions for the LIFE AT WORK Awards 2025 (LAWA 2025) are open to all employers in Malaysia from 20 June to 3 August 2025. Judging will take place throughout August and September 2025, and the winners will be revealed and celebrated at the LAWA 2025 Awards Ceremony in October. For more information and to participate in LAWA 2025, visit View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Talent Corporation Malaysia Berhad Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
How to protect yourself during peak tick season
SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (WPRI) — It's officially peak tick season in Rhode Island, which means everyone should remain vigilant while spending time outside. Thomas Mather, director of the University of Rhode Island's Center for Vector-Borne Disease and the TickEncounter Resource Center, told 12 News the population of ticks across New England is the highest and most diverse it's ever been. There are four different species of ticks currently in Rhode Island, according to Mather, including black-legged deer ticks, American dog ticks, Lone Star ticks and Asian longhorned ticks. He said the most popular species are black-legged deer ticks and American dog ticks. Mather offered a series of precautions everyone can take as tick season ramps up: Mather has a new mantra for tick prevention: 'tuck, treat, tight.' He said it's important to tuck clothes in, treat clothes and shoes to repel them, and wear tight clothing to prevent them from getting underneath. Specifically, Mather recommends everyone tuck their shirts into their pants and their pants into their socks to limit skin exposure. He also suggested spraying clothing with a repellant that contains 20-30% DEET or permethrin. Those hiking in the woods or tall grass should stick to the middle of the trail if possible, he added. Mather urged everyone to carefully check themselves, their children and their pets for ticks before heading inside. He said it's important to have tweezers and a resealable bag ready to remove and collect the tick. Mather also warned against attempting to squish ticks, especially while they're still attached to their host. Even though it can be tempting to flush the tick away after removing it, Mather is asking everyone to submit a photograph of it to URI's TickSpotters. Mather said knowing the species of tick can make a big difference, since only black-legged deer ticks can carry the bacteria that causes Lyme Disease. To submit a tick for identification, Mather requests the photograph be taken of the topside of the tick and provide as much information as possible about the encounter. 'We don't expect everyone to be a tick biologist,' Mather said. 'But that's why we're here.' Mather said TickSpotters will identify the tick and respond to the submission with a risk assessment and easy-to-follow tick bite prevention tips. Even though the diseases that ticks carry varies by species, Mather stressed that 'all ticks need to be protected against.' There's also an easy way for Rhode Islanders to evaluate tick risks before heading outside, according to Mather. He said everyone can simply look out the window and assess their yard conditions to determine whether ticks will be out and about. 'Ticks don't like dry weather,' he said. 'If you have to water your lawn … that's actually not good for ticks.' Mather said wet weather provides the climate ticks need to reproduce. That's actually why clothes should be thrown into the dryer instead of the washer after spending time outside. Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
USA Today
01-04-2025
- Health
- USA Today
Tick season has started. These 2 ticks can make you very sick.
Tick season has started. These 2 ticks can make you very sick. Show Caption Hide Caption Are you risking Lyme disease? Here's how to remove ticks Are you removing ticks correctly? Here's everything you need to know about ticks and how you can combat Lyme disease. Just the FAQs, USA TODAY University of Rhode Island professor Thomas Mather said that tick sightings have increased in the last two weeks. Mather said it's currently too early yet to tell how bad tick season will be. But he did point to an alarming trend: an uptick in lone star ticks, which can cause an allergy to red meat. To protect yourself from ticks, wear tight clothing coated with tick repellent, and tuck in your shirt and do tick checks after possible exposure. Spring may have only just started showing signs of life in northern parts of the country, but tick season has already begun. Nationwide, ticks can be active year-round as long as the temperature is above freezing, but ticks are most active in the warmer months of spring, summer, and early fall, according to the National Forest Foundation. In New England, home of the dreaded Lyme disease, Thomas Mather, the director of the University of Rhode Island Center for Vector-Borne Disease and its TickEncounter Resource Center, saw an uptick in tick sightings in late March. More on ticks: What types live in your area and how to keep them under control Mather said it's currently too early yet to tell how bad tick season will be. But he did point to an alarming trend: an uptick in lone star ticks, which can cause an allergy to red meat. Here's what to look out for this tick season. What ticks to look out for One of the primary tick species to be wary of in the U.S. is the black-legged tick, also called the deer tick or the bear tick. This type of tick carries Lyme disease, an illness that can cause a rash, flu-like symptoms, and joint pain. According to the Mayo Clinic, the black-legged tick is mainly found in the eastern half of the U.S., along with the Midwest. In the Northeast, Mather stressed that there's also been an 'alarming' increase in lone star ticks in southern New England areas of Rhode Island and southeast Massachusetts, especially along the coast. Ten years ago, the ratio of black legged ticks to lone star ticks was 50 to one. Now, Mather said, the ratio has narrowed to three to one, based on data from TickEncounter. Lone star ticks, named for a silvery-white, star-shaped spot on their backs, are particularly concerning because their bites have been associated with some people developing a red meat allergy, called alpha-gal syndrome. Mather said that some people who have developed this allergy from a lone star tick bite have had conditions from gastric distress to spots on their skin to, in the most severe situations, anaphylaxis from eating red meat. He said it's important for folks to get familiar with lone star ticks and be able to identify both types of ticks. (People can submit pictures of ticks they spot to TickSpotter.) Both ticks, and their diseases, are worth avoiding. 'I don't know what's worse: you can take doxycycline for Lyme disease, but you can't take anything to if you're allergic to red meat, you just can't eat red meat,' said Mather. How bad is tick season going to be? While there aren't good predictors for the severity of this year's tick season yet, Mather said, one determination will be how dry it is in late May and early June. This is because young ticks are more sensitive to drying out. 'If we have forest fire like conditions at that time because it's dry already in the woods, then those ticks will die at a faster rate than if we have humid conditions,' Mather said. However, ticks don't all die in the winter. Adult ticks left over from last fall are emerging now as it's gotten warmer. How to protect yourself and your pet from ticks Mather said that if you stopped treating your pet for ticks over the winter, you should definitely start again now. People should also do daily tick checks and make sure they wear clothing that protects them from the insects. Ticks often latch around knee height and crawl up, attach onto the back of one's arm (if they are wearing short sleeve shirts), or get stuck around bra straps. Mather suggested following the 'three T's:' wear clothing treated with permethrin, a tick repellent spray, wear tight clothing that ticks can't crawl underneath, and tuck your shirt in. People should be taking these precautions no matter how bad tick season is forecasted to be, said Sam Telford, a professor of infectious diseases and global health at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University in North Grafton, Massachusetts. 'If the forecast is that there will be few ticks, or just normal numbers...I certainly would not want people to think that they should not take precautions,' Telford wrote in an email. 'People should take precautions (repellent, permethrin treated clothing particularly socks, showers, tick checks, seeking medical advice for any unexplained fever or rash) EVERY SINGLE DAY of tick season when they are in circumstances where they might be exposed.'
