west nile virus
 

I am going to be travelling to an area where
the mosquitoes have been identified as carrying the west nile virus.
I know I need a repellent with DEET in it but are there any recommendations to a certain brands that are better than others or
any other suggestions to protect myself- those mosquitoes love me.

Hi sunbum, I just read an article about this very subject about a week ago, but can't remember where I read it.

Perhaps your local pharmacy could give you some advice.

Look for repellents with a higher % of DEET than the others. They love me too and I haven't found anything that works completely - I usually have to wear long pants most situations.

And while it's smart to be careful, I wouldn't worry too much about WNV - your odds of getting it are very, very low.

I did notice that Target carries repellent with 40% DEET. We never use repellent with such a high concentration, but it is available.

Stay away from locations with stagnant water - breeding ground for mosquitoes. You didn't say what type of vacation you are taking, but if you are hiking in cooler locales, you can wear long sleeve cotton shirts and pants tucked into your socks. But that is not practical in most vacation settings.

Don't worry too much and have a good time :)

Depending on where they are going, the odds aren't that low. I got WNV. Most people have mild symptoms and some people don't even know they have it. Only an unlucky few develop severe symptoms.

I am going to rural community in Saskatchewan Canada - where the mosquitoes are as big as birds .
Will be at outdoor picnics etc.so the pesky things will be buzzing around.
I grew up there and I looked like I had the measles all summer from all the itchy bites I had.

The repellants with higher concentrations of DEET don't work any better at repelling mosquitos, they just work longer. The really high concentrations will literally take the finish off your watch and nail polish off your nails, so be careful. I'd rather use the lower concentration and reapply as needed.

I am one of those people that can be outside for a minute and have three mosquito bites. That is exactly what happened to me in Florida last month. Seven of us got out of the car and walked into the house and I had 3 bites on me, the only one who did.

There was a place in Canada where the bugs were so bad and the mosquitos like sparrows. We used spray with deet, and put a bit of the higher concintration of deet on a bandana around our necks. It worked because you could literally see the barrier around your face of the bugs. Without it I would have been chewed beyond recognition.

I went out to the car to get a book and got chewed on, I was out there for all of thiry seconds.

I hate bugs.

With the higher concintration of deet on you, but not all over your body, it still works good, with out over exposing yourself to too much deet.

I, too had WNV.
I did get a strange swelling of glands in my neck that made me go to the doctor, but that was about it.
There are always quite a few people in my area that get it but nothing much comes of it if you are healthy.
If you are concerned, buy a can of Off and keep your body under your clothing moisturized with Skin So Soft.
Use them both and you should be fine.

OK, nobody seems to know the answer to this, but is Deet supposed to be bad for you?? We used a product from Buggspray.com that seemed to work pretty good.

A couple of comments from one who is dearly loved by mosquitos:

JeanH is right. The rule of thumb is whatever percent DEET, that's how many hours it's effective. 40% DEET = 4 hours, for example.

My all-time favorite DEET product is Cutters stick repellant. It's a small, solid push-up stick, like a deodorant, with about 30% DEET. There are stronger products out there, but I'd rather reapply this one.

*No spray to inhale or get in your eyes.
*Very specific application, i.e., you can dab it on your face, ears, backs of hands.
*You don't ever have to get it on your hands or finger, so no ingesting it when handling food.
*You can keep it on your nightstand and apply it in the middle of the night without turning on the light.
*Easy to throw in a pocket or pack. No liquid to spill or leak.

It has worked well for me all over the world.

LoveItaly - I saw that article too and I think it was in Parade Magazine.

Here are some of the things I remember:

Don't wear blue clothing - mosquitoes are attracted to blue.

If you're grilling - spray garlic on the grille.

Citronella candles and Skin So Soft were somewhat effective.

We use Deep Woods Off, here in mosquito and chigger land..(FL)
My son used it when he traveled in Asia and had to worry about malaria.

We bought the small pump spray bottles of 1.25 oz 90% concentration DEET at SportMart and Target for like $4.89. This, some small sunscreen bottles, and a mini-Maglite went everywhere. Those are the 3Musketeers of camping.

Also available are clothes with bug-repellant from REI and other outdoor retailers (somre are are catalog, some are online, Google).

BigJim, yes DEET can be harmful. Some years back, 20/20 (I think, but could have been Dateline) did a rather frightening piece on people who'd had terrible reactions to it. Too long ago for me to remember the details. But I haven't used DEET since.

CR did a report two years ago and 3M's Ultrathon was their fav. It prevented attacks by swarming Africanized bees (as well as malaria, dengue and yellow fever) in the Darien (Panama) for us.
I had wnv in Aug 03 in Dallas - only bite I recall was in the house. I was symptomatic for 4 days with a polio like illness and a lovely arboform rash.
M

CR recommended REPEL, a cost effective CDC approved non Deet repellent (oil of lemon eucalyptus) in their Aug issue.
It looks to be nearly as good as the long lasting Ultrathon and a bit better than Cutter Advanced (picaridin) they liked last month.
M

Hi Gene, think you are right, Parade Magazine, as I checked my history on my computer and couldn't find it.

A question for mikemo, or anyone else that knows. Why do some people attract mosquitoes and others don't? To my knowledge I have never had a mosquitoe bite. My DH would get eaten up alive and so does my daughter. My neighbor and I will sit out on my deck early evening and she will have ten or so bites in ten minutes and I have none.

What is the reason? Does anyone know?

I just saw reference to a (peer reviewed) medical journal article:
Two fairly common problems which increase the risk of attracting mosquitoes are high cholesterol levels which apparently causes some cholesterol to be excreted via the skin and (seriously) stinky feet as the bacteria metabolic byproducts are very attractive to the critters.
M

I write for a living and recently interviewed a woman who contacted West Nile the summer of 2003. Her legs were both paralyzed as a result and she is still in a wheelchair (but what a super attitude she has--so inspirational). My teenage son, on the other hand, contacted it about the same time at soccer camp and just had a few minor symptoms (achy, rash on his trunk, fatique) that lasted a couple of days.

We live in an area that has seen a lot of West Nile cases--I don't like DEET but we're now using repellent with that ingredient anyhow because it's the best guard against bites.

We also try to stay indoors early in the morning and again about sunset since that seems to be when the little buggers are at their peak. I've also tried to eliminate standing water around the house (empty birdbath, for example).