Malaria - Need to Spray all Clothes too???
 

We are going in 3 weeks to Delhi, Rajasthan, Agra and Varanasi. I have malerone for maleria but was warned by Dr. to also get DEET lotion for exposed skin and premetherin to spray on/soak my clothes. The clothes spray supposedly lasts 2 weeks. I don't mind the DEET lotion idea but do I really have to wear only clothes sprayed in this stuff for the entire trip? Sounds like I better get a gallon of the stuff or wear the same clothes for 2 weeks. Any advice would ease my mind.

we sometimes take some bug spray and spray around our ankles when we think it would be wise....all over your clothes is overkill, imo...

i don't even like the deet lotions or spray on my skin...i hate sun tan lotions as well...

be sensible....if there are tons of bugs around, go inside the a/c..

we also find if we keep our room very cold that helps keep the bug population down....we also enter and exit quickly and leave the minimum of lights on when they are not needed...turn off the outside lite too...
many rooms come with a bug spray -...it usually is on a shelf in the closet....spray it around the first time you leave your room...

Paulo:
There is also "Buzz Off" clothing you can buy. I've used it before and still have a long sleeve shirt and rip off pants. There is no smell or stickinest and mosquitos just don't like me when I was wearing it(in Alaska). Google it or go to online stores such as "Orvis" or other travel stores should have it.
Aloha!

We just came back from Angkor Wat.

We took Malarone, and applied DEET to all exposed skin. We did not do anything with the clothes.

i bought some "clothing insect repellent" here in the states at REI that says "effective for 2 weeks". it's supposed to last through washings. i think it's a relatively new substance called permethrin. you're supposed to apply it to your clothing *before* you put it on.

anyway, mosquitoes can bite through clothing, so if you're worried it wouldn't be a bad idea.

ps the brand is "sawyer" if you're interested in tracking it down.

I wouldn't want to overule your doctor's advice but...

It will be the winter season in India when you are there. We were in Delhi, Agra and Jaipur last February (also in winter) - other than one instance in a very foul restroom, we did not see a single mosquito. We brought DEET lotion but did not use it. We did take antimalerial drugs. Personally, I think spraying your clothes is overkill for that time of year.

Thanks Craig. Any feedback on Angkor Wat and DEET, premetherin etc? We are also stopping over there on this trip.

I don't remember there being many mosquitos in Cambodia in winter. But the year I was there was also very dry -- almost a drought. Even in my room where I definitely had standing water -- about an inch of it on the floor at and all over the walls at all times (don't ask-- I still get sick thinking about it):-)

Buy Buzz-Off clothes that came out in 2004. travelsmith.com or magellans.com
They keep the bugs away. Happy Travels!

Take the Malarone, use Deet* lotion on exposed skin from dusk to dawn, but IMO spraying your clothings or buying specially made clothing already impregnated with permithin is overkill.

Especially so in winter.

If your rooms are air conditioned and sealed, the mossies will stay away. To make yourself feel safer, you may spray your room before going out to dinner... it'll settle on all but yourself; the room will be even better. Also know that mossies aren't too happy in the "cold" - same with altitude, anything above 5,000' where it tends to be "cold." So, unless you find yourself in obviously hot and humid areas with lots of standing water, you should be fine without spraying your clothing.

Even in Siem Reap, Cambodia that was awfully hot and humid, we only used our Malarone and sometimes Deet on exposed skin. We rarely saw a mossie,let alone were bitten.

*I don't even use Deet products, but Avon's Skin-so-Soft "for bugs" and that seems to work just fine.

ditto the Avon Skin So Soft...the stuff works wonders on the bugs, they just don't like it

I posted this post in a duplicate post this afternoon "Malaria, a problem in the Golden triangle" I am posting here also, since no one else has mentioned this new alternative to Deet--Picardin.

Bob, you should give this a try. I just feels like water on your skin. None of that oily residue of Deet. It is now easy to get at REI, Orvis or other outdoor sports store.

Maybe all the Fodorites already knew about Picardin, but I was thrilled. The ONLY downside is that it does not come in the intense strengths of DEET so it needs to be applied more often (the % strength relates to the length of time that a repellent will stay potent, not the strengh when you apply it--I just discovered this when I was looking into Picardin

CDC and WHO Endorsement: (I'm putting these in so that you can check for yourselves)

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/west...entUpdates.htm

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has revised its recommendations on insect repellents to use for effective protection against mosquitoes that may transmit the West Nile virus. In addition to DEET-based repellents, the CDC is now recommending repellents that contain the active ingredient Picaridin, which is new to the United States . Picaridin is proven to be as effective as DEET, but is more pleasant to use.

WHO

The World Health Organization
In 2000, The World Health Organization Pesticide Evaluation Scheme concluded that Picaridin can be recommended as the repellent of choice for malarial prevention. The report's findings show that Picaridin has a good safety profile and excellent cosmetic properties.

Journal of Drugs in Dematology

Picaridin is a new insect repellent that is comparable in effect and less irritating than diethyl toluamide (deet). Its activity and effects are reviewed in this article. http://ceourl.com/Picardin

BostonHarbor, thanks so much for the tip on Picardin. You just made my day :-)
I hate DEET, it's so greasy and I find that if it is on my hands, it rubs the lettering etc off on digital cameras and other equipment. But since I almost always seem to vacation in areas that have tons of mosquitos that carry malaria and dengue, I can't avoid the stuff. I'm definitely going to try this Picardin .

Thanks all. I already ordered the DEET by mail so I guess I will stick to that. Now I feel like I can breath easier while in India and Siem Reap wihtout spraying my clothes etc. Everyone else I asked agreed with you guys.

laurieco, you will love Picardin.

It is sold as "Cutter Advanced Picaridin Insect Repellent." It has only been available in the US for a few months. However, it has been available in Europe for many years (as is normal course). It is *SO* much nicer to use than Deet. It has almost no smell, sprays on as clean as water, and it is not oily at all. It also comes in great little one oz. spray plastic bottles (The six ounce bottles are easy to find. However, the perfectly sized one-ounce bottles are very hard to find--do a Google search. I finally found them in an Army Navy store in Barre Vermont!!)

Picardin is only sold in 7% solution, but it is just as effective as much higher percent deet. You will need to apply it more often. As I mentioned in the prior post (an interesting fact which I had just learned) is that the percent is related to how long a repellent stays at full potency. So 7% picardin is just as strong a repellent for the first 2-3 hours as 30% or more deet, but it would need to be reapplied after 3 hours to maintain the same effectiveness as the 30% deet after that time. The deet would not have to be reapplied for a number of hours more. The army has tested it and found that picardin was just as effective as deet if reapplied properly. (you can find studies all over the Internet)

However, the Picardin is so clean and nice, to me it is worth having to apply it more often and carry that nice little one oz spay bottle in your bag. ;-)

thanks for that info...