Hazards of Chemical-Based Mosquito Repellents

Around the world, millions of people make use of chemical-based mosquito repellents to get complete protection from mosquito bites. But the most common insect repellents and bug sprays used in several homes may be poisonous and are able to produce health problems in people especially for the children. They also pose many adverse effects to the life of pets along with the destruction of ecological balance of the nature. Even if the chemical ingredients present in these chemical-based mosquito repellents can effectively kill the mosquitoes in your home and locality, it can seriously harm your domestic animals, fishes and even plants.

To the chemicals in the environment, individuals have different tolerances. In the case of insect repellents, children are the most vulnerable group. With the exposure to chemicals, young children are susceptible to change in their brain chemistry. This is because of the fact that the skin of children tends to absorbs more chemicals. In addition, this can harshly result in impaired growth; and affect the development of the nervous system.

Some chemicals are even known to bring about genetic damage to animals along with the enumerable toxic issues that have been listed in human. Prolonged skin exposure to these chemicals produce skin allergies, eye irritations, redness, skin discoloration and inflammation. Constant and heavy exposure to chemical repellents can also cause breathlessness, constant fatigue, muscle and joint pain, generalized physical weakness, memory loss and persistent headaches. People typically develop tremors and shortness of breath when overexposed to the strong chemicals in these repellents.

DEET is a registered chemical ingredient that forms the active component of every chemical-based mosquito repellents. Chemical repellents that include DEET when applied on the topical areas easily penetrate into the skin to our blood stream and cause adverse health hazards on our central nervous system. DEET is also easily absorbed by the human’s gut to cause further more health hazards. Permithrin is another chemical that when combined with DEET can cause chronic memory dysfunction and motor deficits. Some DEET repellents also contain toxic chemical substances like isopropyl alcohol and ethyl that are highly harmful for children.

There are lots of botanical and natural mosquito repellents available in the market today that are effective in warding off mosquitoes without causing any health hazards. You can try out some natural repellents prepared with essential oils like citronella, eucalyptus, lavender, lemon, etc other than going for harmful chemical-based mosquito repellents.

How to Identify the Symptoms of Malaria?

Normally it is found that a malaria infected person begins to show the symptoms within 10 to 30 days after the bite from the infected mosquito. The infection can result in recurrent attacks and symptoms that can vary from mild to severe depending on the type of plasmodium parasite the person is infected with. The infection with plasmodium falciparum can show symptoms within 7 to 14 days, other types like plasmodium ovale and vivax begins to show symptoms during 8 to 14 days and plasmodium malariae takes 7 to 30 days. But there can be differences in these timeframes depending on the individual.

A person may experience mild symptoms like fever, chills etc and can also have severe symptoms like kidney failures, coma etc. Even the severe cases can be cured well with prompt and proper treatment. Most of the symptoms are not continuous and can appear and disappear during the time frames. The reason behind this is that the parasite is completing its lifecycle by developing, maturing and reproducing and thereby again infecting more and more blood cells and liver cells. In the case of mild malaria symptoms may last for six to ten hours and then gets better. The recurrence of the symptoms varies from type to type.

Generally mild symptoms include moderate to severe shaking chills, fever, sweating followed by lowering of temperature, rigors, head ache, vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, slight jaundice, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, cough, enlarged liver and spleen, muscle or back pain, anemia and general fatigue. The severe cases normally occur due to plasmodium falciparum which can result in organ failure, problem with blood and metabolism. The general symptoms in severe cases are kidney failure, seizures, mental confusion, coma, severe anemia, pulmonary edema, acute respiratory distress syndrome, bleeding associated with problems in blood clotting and even death.

It is always advisable to take preventive measures in order to stay protected from malaria. The stagnant water where the anopheles mosquitoes breed must be emptied and you must protect yourself with an effective mosquito repellent in order to avoid mosquito bites. Try to use natural mosquito repellents so that you need not have to worry about the deteriorating side effects. Nowadays an effective soap is developed after a research done in Australia and china for competent mosquito protection namely Skin Armour deep woods outdoor soap. This soap from Skin Armour is made purely from efficient natural oils that can repel the mosquitoes for long hours.

Mosquito Transmitted Viral Diseases

Mosquitoes are notorious for their disease-carrying capabilities. They are responsible for transmitting humans with a variety of potentially dangerous and deadly diseases. This article discusses some viral diseases that can be transmitted from mosquitoes to humans. The list of mosquito transmitted viral diseases includes malaria, dengue fever, several forms of equine encephalitis, West Nile virus and yellow fever.

Malaria

Malaria is one of the most common infectious diseases, which is spread by the bite of an infected female Anopheles mosquito. The disease is connected with a wide range of symptoms, from body ache and fever to serious infection that leads to coma, seizures and even death.

Dengue Fever

Dengue fever is an acute viral infectious disease caused by Aedes aegypti, a domestic, day-biting mosquito. Infection with dengue viruses produces a variety of illness ranging from vague sickness to fatal blood disease. Common symptoms include swollen lymph nodes, high fever, muscle aches and pain, rash, weakness, nausea and vomiting.

Encephalitis

A viral disease, Encephalitis is transmitted to humans through the bite of mosquitoes. It reasons severe inflammation of the brain that may lead to eternal brain damage. The majority viral encephalitis infections don't create any symptoms at all. It only leads to common flu-like symptoms such as headache, fever, malaise and muscle ache. In rare cases, it may direct to severe symptoms such as stiff neck or back, high fever, vomiting sensitivity to light and confusion.

West Nile Virus

West Nile virus (WNV) is a potentially serious illness. Generally, people infected with the virus will not develop any symptoms at all. However, the possibility of severe illness and death is highest for people over 50 years old. Fatal encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) is the most serious symptom of WNV infection.

Yellow Fever

Yellow fever is a tropical disease transmitted between humans by mosquitoes. It occurs only in tropical South America and sub-Saharan Africa. People with mild symptoms of yellow fever may experience fever, bloody nose, headache, nausea and slow heartbeat. The severity of the disease is ranging from an influenza-like syndrome to hemorrhagic fever and severe hepatitis.

Other viral diseases that are transmitted to humans from the bite of mosquitoes include epidemic polyarthritis, Rift Valley fever, Ross River Fever and Barmah Forest disease.

It is advisable to use natural mosquito repellents such as the Skin Armour Deep Woods Outdoor Soap, which contains in it a protective shield to safeguard you from many serious illnesses due to mosquito bites.

Various Methods to Control Mosquitoes

Mosquito bite! It is really something cause headache to each and every individual. Controlling mosquitoes is the only way to keep away the diseases caused by the mosquito bite. You can maintain your local mosquito population under control by removing their habitat on your property, and stay away from their irritating bites by using the right repellents and barriers. Here are some tips to control mosquitoes and there by improve your health conditions.

Since mosquitoes need water (especially stagnant or slow moving water) to breed, eliminate these water sources. Remove standing water in old tires, plastic covers, buckets, aluminum cans, toys, or any other container where mosquitoes can live and breed. Keep gutters clean and unclogged. Keep swimming pools cleaned and chlorinated otherwise your swimming pool will be a mosquitoes breeding place. To destroy potential mosquito habitats, change the water in bird baths, wading pools, fountains, rain barrels, and potted plant trays at least one time a week.

Keep ornamental ponds aerated to remain water moving. It discourages mosquitoes from laying eggs. You can also stock the pond with mosquito-eating fish. Adult mosquitoes rest throughout the day, usually on tall weeds and other vegetation. By mowing the lawn regularly, you can make your yard less hospitable to mosquitoes.

Door screens and window should be 16-18 mesh and fit snugly, with no gaps around the edges. Replace your outdoor lights with yellow "bug" lights. Treat clothing, sunshades, and screen houses with a permithrin-based product, such as Permanone. It not only repels both mosquitoes and ticks, but also will last through several washes on your clothing. When outdoors, use head nets, long sleeves and long pants. You can also apply a DEET free mosquito repellent according to the directions on the label.

You can also use natural mosquito repellent soaps that are available commercially. These products are effective against adult and larval mosquitoes. A light spray application around building foundations, shrubs, and grasses will keep adult mosquitoes from resting in these areas. Before purchasing, look for EPA-approved products. If used in windless conditions, use of some other repellent products - such as mosquito coils and citronella candles - may also be effectual. Make use of only EPA-registered mosquito repellents and follow label directions and precautions closely.