Prevention is best medicine against disease-carrying biting insects

By: DEAN FOSDICK - For the Associated Press | Thursday, October 4, 2007 10:29 PM PDT ∞

No vaccines are yet available to protect humans against outbreaks of mosquito- and tick-borne illnesses like West Nile virus and Lyme disease.

Prevention remains the best defense. Chances are good you'll minimize the threat by observing the following "five D's":

-- Dusk until dawn. Reduce the amount of time spent outdoors when the mosquitoes apt to transmit infectious diseases are most active.

-- Drain standing water. Keep a tidy yard. Mosquitoes need water to reproduce. Overturn such things as stagnant wading pools and pet dishes or saucers beneath potted plants. Clear clogged rain gutters. Haul away discarded tires and other containers that can capture even a few ounces of rainwater. Change the water at least weekly in birdbaths.

If you live near blacklegged or deer ticks whose bite is known to convey Lyme disease, then mow lawns short, and clear brush and leaf litter away from buildings.

-- Dress appropriately. Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants in areas frequented by mosquitoes and ticks. Tuck pant cuffs into the tops of your socks or shoes to create a tick barrier. Drape mosquito netting over infant carriers and wear a head net. Avoid dark clothing, which often attracts biting insects.

-- Doors and barriers. Repair screens on doors and windows to prevent mosquitoes and other biting insects from gaining entry into your home.

-- DEET and other insect repellents. Apply insect repellent if you are outdoors for any period of time.

"People dislike repellents in general and DEET in particular, but DEET is the gold standard of anything out there," said Joe Conlon, a technical advisor to the American Mosquito Association and a former Navy medical entomologist. Newer blends have a better feel, he said.

Several other EPA-approved compounds are available commercially and are proving to be good alternatives to DEET, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

They include picaridin, a synthetic repellent popular in Europe and Australia, and oil of lemon eucalyptus, a natural plant-based repellent.

Consult a physician before spraying any insect repellents on children, the CDC suggests.

And people over 50 show significantly lower rates repellent use, yet they are at higher risk of getting severely ill if they become infected with the West Nile virus, said Emily Zielinski-Gutierrez, a behavioral scientist with the agency in Fort Collins, Colo.

Two things are important when choosing an insect repellent, Conlon said.

"Make sure it's an active ingredient recommended by the CDC and check the percentage of active ingredient to know how many hours of protection the repellent will provide."

Check this U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention updated fact sheet about mosquito repellents on the Web at:

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/RepellentUpdates.htm.

First name only. Comments including last names, contact addresses, e-mail addresses or phone numbers will be deleted. Attempts to misrepresent your identity or impersonate any person will not be approved. All comments are screened before they appear online, so please keep them brief. Comments reflect the views of those commenting and not necessarily those of the North County Times or its staff writers. Click here to view additional comment policies.