Friday, December 8, 2006
Mosquito-transmitted deseases
Whether you enjoy backyard barbecues or backpacking, cycling or just sitting by the pool, summer means it's time to get outside. But nothing spoils the fun faster than one very tiny creature: the mosquito. Not only are mosquitoes a nuisance, leaving people peppered with itchy red welts and driving them indoors, but they can also carry diseases that pose a threat to your family's health.Because mosquitoes tap into the blood of birds, animals and humans, they can be ghoulishly efficient at transmitting certain diseases. Fortunately, fewer than 100 of the world's 2,700 mosquito species carry disease, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. While some mosquito-borne diseases can be deadly to humans, many cause only minor, passing symptoms in most people.
Here are some of the best-known mosquito-transmitted diseases:
-Arboviral Encephalitides
-West Nile Virus
-Malaria
-Dengue Fever
-Yellow Fever
Protect yourself from the mosquitoes!
Let's assume you don't want to get sick from mosquitoes. You don't want to give blood to them either. And you don't even want to land on you!
Time of day
Mosquitoes tend to be out at dawn and dusk, and you may be able to avoid getting bitten by staying inside when they're outside. They don't like to be out in mid-day since they could suffer a disastrous drying out.
The heavy-duty approach
You can try netting and dressing yourself fully.
Timing
Try to go out before or after the peak mosquito season.
Wind
A good breeze will keep mosquitoes down.
Repellents
DEET has been the standard of the industry, and it is recommended to put no more than 30 percent DEET applied according to label directions. And Children should use lower concentrations no greater than 10%. Don't drink DEET and be especially careful with young children. There are several precautions to be taken with DEET. Use a natural repellent like BITE BLOCKER if you are concerned about the negative effects of DEET. Recent studies regarding BITE BLOCKER show it works as well as low concentrations of DEET and without toxic side effects that DEET or other natural repellents may cause.
Repellents (the fashion statement)
For travel to heavily infested areas, one option is to soak your clothing in permethrin, an insecticide made for the purpose. One treatment will last for several washings. "It's a good combination," says Barnard. "We can get hours of complete protection from that." Be careful about combination of DEET and Permethrin as well as other chemicals. Duke Medical Institute in Durham, NC has just released a study confirming the negative effects of combinations with DEET.
Bug zappers
They kill a lot of insects, if you can stand the loud crack and smell of burning insects. But critics say zappers fry more beneficial insects than harmful ones and they may attract more insects than they kill.
The ecological method
Put up a bat-house or a house for purple martins. Bats supposedly gobble hundreds of mosquitoes each hour, and they're not only non-toxic, but they're fun to watch.
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