Mosquitos – those nasty little bugs that cause irritating itching and swelling of the skin. Not only do they cause itching and swelling but they have also killed millions with the viruses that they carry.
Mosquitoes are known to carry many infectious diseases from several different classes of microorganisms, including viruses and parasites. Parasites that dogs, cats and horses are very susceptible to.
Mosquito viruses include the Zika Virus, malaria, West Nile virus, Chikungunya, Denque, yellow fever, elephantiasis, dengue fever, different forms ofencephalitis and dog heartworm disease.
Some of these mosquito viruses are only thought to be in places like Africa, the Caribbeans, the Middle East, Asia and parts of Europe. However, You may not have know that malaria affected colonizations along the eastern shore and was effectively controlled in the 1940’s. The West Nile Virus appeared in the United States in 1999 and in 2002 Forty-four states and 5 Canadian provinces had reports of the West Nile Virus. This virus is like a flu with symptoms of fever, headache, tiredness, aches and perhaps a rash. Symptoms last from 30 days to 60 days and more serious issues are encephalitis and menengities.
Now there are concerns of the Zika Virus which is a mosquito borne virus that not only causes illness but can also cause birth defect. Symptoms of Zika virus are fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis (red eyes). I have heard on the news that it has not been introduced into the United States yet and that pregnant mothers need not be concerned, but I have read otherwise in the internet. I have read that it is in Cuba and Puerto Rico; that it is in some southern states and expected as start moving north. Needless to say, I am a little concerned that the news is not being truthful in this matter.
So how do you protect yourself and your family?
To optimize protection against mosquitoes and reduce the risk of diseases they transmit consider the following :
Wear a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, and socks.
Treat clothing with repellents or purchase pretreated permethrin treated clothing.
Apply and re-apply lotion, liquid, or spray repellent to exposed skin depending on your exposure to mosquitos.
Pay attention to the time of day that mosquitos are most active and choose to stay indoors or ensure adequate protection during those times of the day. Most mosquitos bite mainly from dawn to dusk.
Purchase a mosquito magnet for the outside of your home that will reduce the number of mosquitos reproducing in the surrounding area.
Repellents for use on your clothing and skin to protect against mosquito viruses:
Products containing the following active ingredients typically provide reasonably long-lasting protection:
The following is taken directly from the CDC Site.
**DEET (chemical name: N,N-diethyl-m-tolua-mide or N,N-diethyl-3-methyl-benzamide). Products containing DEET include, but are not limited to, Off!, Cutter, Sawyer, and Ultrathon.
Picaridin (KBR 3023 [Bayrepel] and icaridin outside the United States; chemical name: 2-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperidinecarboxylic acid 1-methylpropyl ester). Products containing picaridin include, but are not limited to, Cutter Advanced, Skin So Soft Bug Guard Plus, and Autan (outside the United States).
Oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE) or PMD (chemical name: para-menthane-3,8-diol), the synthesized version of OLE. Products containing OLE and PMD include, but are not limited to, Repel and Off! Botanicals. This recommendation refers to EPA-registered repellent products containing the active ingredient OLE (or PMD). “Pure” oil of lemon eucalyptus (essential oil not formulated as a repellent) is not recommended; it has not undergone similar, validated testing for safety and efficacy, is not registered with EPA as an insect repellent, and is not covered by this recommendation.
IR3535 (chemical name: 3-[N-butyl-N-acetyl]-aminopropionic acid, ethyl ester). Products containing IR3535 include, but are not limited to, Skin So Soft Bug Guard Plus Expedition and SkinSmart.
EPA characterizes the active ingredients DEET and picaridin as “conventional repellents” and OLE, PMD, and IR3535 as “biopesticide repellents,” which are either derived from or are synthetic versions of natural materials.
Mosquitos and the diseases they carry can cause fear and anxiety in some people, but none of us should live our life in fear. We can all take steps to protect ourselves.
I hope that you have found this information helpful. If you would like to find out more about Skin So Soft Bug Guard Plus and more; click on the following links. Thank-you for visiting my blog. I would love to hear your comments.
Monica Brown Hello, and thank-you for visiting my TrustedBeautyBlog. My name is Monica Brown and I have been an Ind. Avon Rep since 2014. I love sharing my product reviews with customers and helping those who want to sell Avon get started. Feel free to leave comments or contact me @ BeautyBossMonica@gmail.com Join my team: StartAvon.com Use Reference: mbrown316
