How to Avoid Mosquito Bites
Mosquito sucking blood into its abdomen
Are you a mosquito magnet? Do you get 'eaten alive'? If so, the easiest way to avoid mosquito bites would be to stay out of the way of mosquitoes in the first place. However, that's easier said than done. You won't always know when a mosquito is near you, but you can be sure it knows when it's near you!
Things like mosquito repellents can help to confuse a mosquito's senses so it can't find us so easily for a quick tasty meal.
To most people, the itchy, swollen red bump that results from a mosquito bite is just an annoyance. However, although mosquito bites aren’t usually dangerous, they can become inflamed or infected, and mosquitoes also spread diseases in some parts of the world.
Diseases Carried by Mosquitoes
The malaria parasite (plasmodium) is transmitted to humans by infected female Anopheles mosquitoes, and if left untreated, malaria can be life threatening. Malaria is responsible for the deaths of over one million people every year, but infects many more. Areas of the world considered to be ‘risk’ zones include parts of Southern and Central America, Africa, the Middle East, the Far East, and Asia.
In addition to malaria, mosquitoes also spread West Nile virus, yellow fever, dengue fever and Japanese encephalitis. If travelling to a part of the world where there is a risk of contracting one of these diseases, it is advisable to consult a medical practitioner about taking precautions.
While tablets and vaccinations are available for some insect-borne diseases, the first line of defence against them is to avoid getting bitten by mosquitoes, midges, gnats, ticks and other biting insects in the first place.
Mosquito Repellents
There is a wide range of mosquito repellents and insecticide products on the market, which offer protection against mosquitoes and other insects and can provide ways to avoid mosquito bites.
Mosquito repellents such as DEET work by blocking a mosquito’s sensory receptors to carbon dioxide, leaving it unable to detect humans. Repellents ward mosquitoes away but do not kill, as opposed to insecticides such as Pyethrin, which do kill.
Repellents and insecticides are useful tools in mosquito bite prevention, for both indoor and outdoor use, from your doorstep to the most tropical of locations. Such products include synthetic mosquito repellents, natural mosquito repellents, bug sprays, plug in mosquito killers, mosquito smoke coils and mosquito wristbands.
Mosquito Screens & Nets
In some cases it is advisable to use additional protection in the form of insect screens and to sleep under impregnated mosquito nets. (Mosquito nets are vitally important and urgently needed in the worldwide fight against malaria.)
There is no product on the market that is 100% effective in helping people to avoid mosquito bites, but there is certainly a huge range of products to choose from that can go a long way in helping to deter blood sucking mosquitoes and other biting insects.