Top Mosquito Repellent Tips
Anyone who has ever been bitten by mosquitoes will know how annoying it is.
If it was only itchy skin left from the mosquito bites then consider yourself fortunate.
This is because mosquitos are known to be carriers of diseases such as :
Chikungunya
Dengue
Malaria
Japanese Encephalitis
Zika
Yellow Fever
La Crosse Encephalitis
West Nile
St Louis Encephalitis
Here's a brief description of these mosquito-borne viruses :
Chikungunya
The name comes from an African language and refers to the stooped appearance people may have because of severe joint pain.
You might also get a rash, headache, nausea, and fatigue.
In some cases, symptoms can last months or years.
Dengue
Symptoms are rash, fever, headache, easy bruising, and bleeding gums.
Sometimes it leads to hemorrhagic fever, which can be deadly.
Malaria
The symptoms include fever, headache, chills, and vomiting.
Taking anti-malaria drugs and sleeping under a mosquito net will help other than using mosquito repellent.
Japanese Encephalitis
Most people infected with JE do not have symptoms or have only mild symptoms.
A small percentage of infected people develop inflammation of the brain (encephalitis), with symptoms including sudden onset of headache, high fever, disorientation, coma, tremors and convulsions. About 1 in 4 cases are fatal.
Zika
The symptoms from this virus are mild: just a fever, rash, joint pain, and red eyes.
The real danger may be to pregnant women and their babies.
It's linked to a birth defect called microcephaly, which causes small heads and brain damage.
Mosquitoes spread this disease in many parts of the world including Brazil and other countries in South and Central America, the Caribbean, and Southeast Asia.
Yellow Fever
Symptoms are like jaundice which can make your skin and eyes look yellowish.
Less serious infections will give you a headache, backache, chills, and vomiting.
Many people don't notice any symptoms. If you get sick, you might get a fever, nausea, and headache, and severe cases can cause nervous system changes including encephalitis (inflammation of the brain). Severe disease occurs most often in children under 16 years of age.
West Nile
If you get bitten by a mosquito carrying this virus, there may be no symptoms although some people get fever, joint pain, diarrhea, vomiting or a rash.
Watch out for rare complications, like the brain infections called encephalitis or meningitis.
St Louis Encephalitis
Most people do not have symptoms. For people with symptoms, the time from infected mosquito bite to feeling sick ranges from 4 to 14 days.
Symptoms usually start abruptly, with fever, headache, dizziness, nausea, and generalized weakness.
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, please seek medical attention so that you can be treated immediately.
Hence it is important to protect yourself and your family from being bitten by mosquitoes that may carry these diseases.
Best Time To Apply Mosquito Repellent, Spray And Fogging
Mosquitoes are the most active at dawn and dusk.
That means the best time to apply any mosquito repellent is in the early morning and evening when mosquitoes are out looking for their meal.
If you are planning to go out for a walk, run, hike to exercise or anywhere outdoors in the early morning or late afternoon towards evening, make sure you apply mosquito repellent on yourself and also on your clothing to ward off these pesky insects.
Spray shirts, pants, socks, hats - do not spray under clothing.
It is better to use a plant-based mosquito repellent that is chemical free so that it will not cause any reaction to your skin when you put it on.
If you plan on spraying mosquito repellent in the house, spray them near plants, windows, doors and places where these pests may come in.
Mosquitoes are drawn to dark colored clothing so you will notice quite a number of them hanging on to any damp or dark clothing that you may have left out to dry the evening before.
The fastest way to kill them is to spray them with mosquito aerosol spray.
If you find your room has a number of mozzies buzzing around in the morning, switch off the fan or air con and then spray the top part of the room with a mosquito aerosol spray.
Leave the room by closing the door after spraying as the aerosol spray will flow downwards killing the pests.
Allow around 45 minutes for the mosquito aerosol spray to work after which you can go back in to the room to switch on the fan and air out the room.
If your area has a lot of mosquitos or any dengue case, your local council will most likely come to fog out the area.
Most mosquito fogging is done during the evening because most mosquitoes are active during that time.
The mosquito fogger will target areas with scrubs, plants, drains, tall grass where mosquitoes will hide.
Fogging will also be done during the rainy season where mosquitoes tend to breed more frequently in order to disrupt their breeding cycle.
Studies have shown that a 90% reduction of mosquitoes occurs within the first week of using fogging machines.
Best Way To Apply Mosquito Repellent
More does not mean it is better. Excessive spraying it on yourself does not keep bugs at bay. One coat is enough.
Time your re-application as mosquito repellent will need to be re-applied after a certain amount of time.
You may need to apply on an hourly basis if there's too many mosquitoes in your area.
Also be mindful of where you are spraying the mosquito repellent.
Do not apply near eyes and mouth and use sparingly around the ears.
When using sprays, do not spray directly into face. Spray on hands first and then apply to the face.
Wash all treated clothing before wearing it again.
Natural mosquito repellent is highly recommended as compared to chemical ones.
Some folks prefer to go with the chemical-free option as it is more natural.
If you are planning to travel overseas, some countries may require you take yellow fever vaccination before you even arrive.
It is also recommended to take anti-malaria pills as well.
Also, if you have travelled overseas and have just returned to your home country, it is recommended that you use a mosquito repellent on yourself for 3 weeks to prevent mosquitoes from biting you to transmit any virus like Zika to others.
Always have a bottle of mosquito repellent with you to apply on when you travel or even when you are not traveling.
Prevention is better than cure as these pesky pests are able to land you in the hospital.
