4 ways to protect your family from mosquitoes

.Follow me at @drClaire The news about the Zika virus possibly causing microcephaly in infants has everyone talking about — and worried about — mosquitoes. It’s not just the Zika virus that can be spread by mosquitoes; these insects also spread other illnesses, such as malaria, dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever, West Nile virus, eastern equine encephalitis, and Japanese encephalitis. It should be said that most people who are bitten by mosquitoes don’t get sick with anything. But if you are living in or traveling to an area where these illnesses are prevalent, it’s important to know the four best ways to protect yourself and your family: Choose your clothes wisely. Lightweight long sleeves and long pants are your best bet; spraying clothing with insect repellent may help even more. Create barriers between you and the mosquitoes. Staying inside, in air-conditioned buildings or buildings with good screens that don’t let in mosquitoes, is one way to do that. You can also use mosquito netting; you can use it around beds and also around baby strollers. Spraying the netting with insect repellent is a good idea. Watch out for standing water. That’s where mosquitoes breed. If you can empty it out, do that. If you can’t, don’t hang out near it. Use insect repellents. The most effective one is DEET (N, N-diethyl-meta-toluamide). Mosquitoes don’t like how it smells, so they stay away from it. The higher the percentage of DEET in the repellent, the longer the protect...
Source: New Harvard Health Information - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Health Parenting Prevention Travel health Source Type: news