July 20, 2005
Americans Ignore Mosquito Risks
Public Health Officials Worried That Not Enough Are Using Repellent
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(AP Photo)
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Interactive West Nile Virus Track its spread and bite back with mosquito prevention tips.
What About Kids?
Some parents worry about using DEET on children. James R. Roberts, MD, MPH, associate professor of pediatrics at the Medical University of South Carolina, recently reviewed the new products for the American Academy of Pediatrics.
"I don't know if the new products are safer for children than DEET -- they have been on the market a lot less time," Roberts tells WebMD. "Animal studies showed only minor toxicities."
For his own kids, Roberts still uses DEET.
"I personally use DEET on my children, the 10% to 20% strengths," he says. "The most important thing is to just apply it once a day. I do tell parents to wash it off the kids at night. I definitely recommend to my patients and students that they wash it off their kids as soon as they come indoors. And don't apply it to kids' hands, because those hands go straight to their mouths and eyes."
There's also evidence that sunscreen may increase the body's absorption of insect repellent.
"I don't recommend using mosquito repellent with sunscreen," Roberts says. "Sunscreen needs to be reapplied after swimming. And you don't want to reapply the repellent."
Recommended Precautions for Repellents
The EPA's full list of precautions to take with mosquito repellents:
"I am a new mommy, and it is a whole new world of worry," Zielinski-Gutierrez says. "I do so many things to make sure the baby is fine. I would feel terrible if I didn't take care of myself and got disabled because of a mosquito bite. So I spray the whole family before we go out on walks every evening. I don't want to omit a simple behavior that could prevent risk to my whole family.'
By Miranda Hitti
Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD
© 2005, WebMD Inc. All rights reserved.
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