A reminder on mosquito borne illness prevention

[RichardB]

http://www.scouting.org/Home/HealthandSafety/Alerts/Mosquito-Borne_Illnesses.aspx

 

 

 

Richard

[Sentinel947]

Thanks Richard! 

[Krampus]

Can't emphasize this enough. Some repllents are more effective than others but they can ruin that expensive gear you own. Deet is really bad for that. Picaridin is much better. Here's a pretty good break down on the various types.

[RememberSchiff]

I have used a Thermacell appliance/holster which has worked fairly well.  I want to try these new Kite patches which are due 2016.

 

http://www.kitepatch.com/

 

For scouts, as long as it is not a spray, sunscreen and repellents are parent's call.

 

For myself, I prefer to steer away from lotions. The frequency of re-applying, safety, and long-term unknowns are concerns.

 

Mosquitoes and ticks sure have gotten scarier.

Edited April 8, 2016 by RememberSchiff

[Stosh]

At 110^o  in the shade I still wear long pants tucked into socks and long sleeves duct taped shut, and if the bugs are bad, head netting.  Look like a dork, but I don't worry about bugs or ticks.  50 years later I still remember that my best friend died having been bitten while at a scout overnight activity.  He got mosquito borne encephalitis while at WINTER CAMP! 

[CalicoPenn]

Not to make light of this, because it's good to be reminded of it but I'm going to go ahead and change my mind on bubble ball.  Or at least the bubble part - I can't think of a better way to keep Scouts from being bitten by mosquitos than wrapping them in a giant bubble cocoon of plastic. 

[Rick_in_CA]

Mosquitoes and ticks sure have gotten scarier.

I agree. When I was a scout, we didn't know about Lyme Disease (tick born - wasn't identified until 1975), and West Nile virus (mosquito born) had not yet shown up (it's just shown up recently here in California).

[Krampus]

I agree. When I was a scout, we didn't know about Lyme Disease (tick born - wasn't identified until 1975), and West Nile virus (mosquito born) had not yet shown up (it's just shown up recently here in California).

WNV maybe wasn't around, but other forms of encephalitis were. WNV is just the next cousin in the strain. World travel has seen to the spread of these diseases. Look at TB, nearly gone. Now MDRTB is looming.

[NJCubScouter]

Thank you Richard.

[vumbi]

Viruses are really interesting. There are plenty of other things to worry about too like Hep A and C (and B if sexually active). Yellow fever is still around as well as Typhoid. I do almost precisely the same thing as Stosh, long sleeves and long pants tucked properly and sometimes even dusted with Sevin aound the tucks. I have also been impressed with how useful a hat is at keeping flying things away even if without a net. I don't often use repellants or sunscreen as a result. It helps to avoid being exposed during mosquito-active times of day. Aedes aegypti is most active in the morning and again in the early evening. Plus they are territorial and don't travel more than about 50 feet from hatch. That makes it easier to control a campsite. You can actually sweep the place with a net each day and remove most of them for quite a while. This doesn't work for all species though but A. aegypti is the most likely to carry the dengue/chikungunya/zika/yellow fever complex.

 

I have often traveled to places where all of Richard's list is present and, so far (whew) haven't had any problems. The long pants and sleeves are hot but I fix that by putting my valuables (ID, passport, money, etc.) in a waterproof bag and then soaking everything with water. The evaporative cooling is just fine. And the cooler surfaces seem not to be as attractive to flying insects.

The only time I expose skin other than face and hands is when I'm going for a swim and then I stay submerged as much as possible. Cooler that way too.

Edited April 9, 2016 by vumbi

[Tampa Turtle]

Can't emphasize this enough. Some repllents are more effective than others but they can ruin that expensive gear you own. Deet is really bad for that. Picaridin is much better. Here's a pretty good break down on the various types.

DEET is pretty effective for what it does but yeah keep away from anything! I have fogged glasses, stained pants, and welded my plastic watch band together with the stuff. And do NOT spray in mouth. I used Permethrin products on my socks, clothes, and gear. I have had little luck with 'natural' products and skin-so-soft, at least when we were in high mosquito areas. 

[perdidochas]

DEET is pretty effective for what it does but yeah keep away from anything! I have fogged glasses, stained pants, and welded my plastic watch band together with the stuff. And do NOT spray in mouth. I used Permethrin products on my socks, clothes, and gear. I have had little luck with 'natural' products and skin-so-soft, at least when we were in high mosquito areas. 

 

Picaridin is about as effective as deet, and it doesnt' dissolve plastics.