Part l: An update on zapping mosquitoes
You no longer have to visit the Amazon rain forest or equatorial Africa to pick up an exotic tropical disease. Nowadays, Zika, West Nile, Chikungunya, dengue and similar diseases can come to visit your family – at your home. Blame global warming. Believe it! Climate change has arrived! Prepare your defenses. There are no vaccines or medications to prevent these diseases. And there are no medications to cure them.
1. These diseases are caused by mosquitoes. Mosquitoes wallow in warmth. A warmer environment enables them to multiply more rapidly, enlarge their habitat, and lengthen their breeding and biting seasons. Milder winters allow more of them to survive to bite you again next year.
2. But it’s not the mosquitoes that are your nemesis. Most mosquito bites are merely annoying. It is the viruses that mosquitoes can harbor that are worrisome. Many mosquitoes that spread diseases in the tropics already exist in North America, Europe and in other temperate climates – but are not (yet?) carrying these viruses. If an infected traveler – even one without symptoms – is bitten by a local mosquito after returning home, that mosquito can spread the disease to subsequent persons the mosquito bites. Rarely, diseases can arrive in this country by an infected mosquito that hitched a ride on a plane or ship.
3. Ridding your neighborhood of mosquitoes is your first line of defense. Repellents are secondary. While repellents are important, applying them correctly and safely, especially on infants and young children, is time-consuming, expensive, messy, not foolproof and may raise health issues. (Our next posting will discuss the use of repellents on children.)
4. Know your local mosquitoes. Ask your local health department. Different species of mosquitoes transmit specific diseases. Generally, seasonal biting begins soon after trees begin to bloom and ends with the first frost. Each species has a different time of day for peak biting activity, but it is usually around sunrise and sunset. Stay indoors at such times if a mosquito-borne disease alert is in effect.
5. Check that local authorities eliminate standing water in your neighborhood. Notify them about standing water in empty lots and near uninhabited houses. Generally, insecticides are sprayed to kill larvae in ponds, reflecting pools and other bodies of still water. Sometimes fish are placed in water to eat larvae.
6. Insecticides are safe for infants and children. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, “The chemicals used in approved insecticides, when used correctly, do not pose unreasonable risk to public health and the environment. Insecticides do not cause asthma. Rarely they may cause mild, temporary eye irritation.” Some experts suggest you keep family members with serious respiratory issues indoors during sprayings. Health departments will supply dates and times.
7. Eliminate standing water on your property. Mosquitoes breed in poorly maintained swimming pools and in standing water on tarpaulins covering pools. Empty children’s wading pools at least once a week. Check for standing water in backyard toys, abandoned tires, flowerpots, trashcans, and even bottle caps.
8. “Bug proof” your house/apartment. Cover gaps in walls. Use weather stripping under doors. Check bathroom exhausts. Make sure windows and chimneys are properly screened and repair any holes. Remove piles of wet leaves from yards and roof eaves. Air conditioning and fans are effective deterrents; mosquitoes prefer still air. Fans are effective on porches and terraces. Observe similar mosquito precautions when away from home.
9. Be leery of devices that claim to repel mosquitoes. Products that emit vapors may be harmful if inhaled indoors over prolonged periods of time, especially by children. Outdoors, vapor effectiveness varies depending on wind direction and other factors. Sound devices worn around the neck or wrist to scare away mosquitoes are not effective. “Bug lights” are not repellents but do not attract mosquitoes as many ordinary lights do.
10. Miscellaneous. Taking vitamin B or antihistamines may reduce itching from bites, making people think they are being bitten less. Avoid scented soaps, perfumes, and hair spray; these may attract biting insects. Do mosquitoes prefer biting infants? (Maybe they taste sweeter?) In fact, no one knows if infants are bitten more often. If so, it may be because infants are unable to swat them away. Place nets over strollers and playpens outdoors.
For the latest information, see https://www.cdc.gov/zika/prevention/controlling-mosquitoes-at-home.html
