Are Your Kids Safe From Mosquitoes?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
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WASHINGTON, DC. (17 August 2000) -- West Nile Virus. The very name is frightening and as people throughout the northeast learned last year; it is deadly - claiming the lives of seven elderly Americans during the summer 1999 outbreak in New York. While pesticide applications by local governments are critical in the control of mosquitoes that carry West Nile Virus and other diseases like Eastern Equine Encephalitis, the first line of defense is the prevention of mosquito bites.

According to Dr. Kimberly Thompson, a specialist in risk analysis at the Harvard University School of Public Health, people must remember that mosquitoes are more than annoying, they may also carry disease. She warns, "Mosquitoes pose a very real threat, and we must actively seek to prevent the spread of disease wherever and whenever we can. Parents and caretakers responsible for children and the elderly must be particularly vigilant."

Dr. Thompson, the mother of two, says there are simple, yet important preventive tactics parents can use to protect their children from mosquitoes.

"Preventing mosquito bites involves two crucial components - physical protection and environmental control," she says. Dr. Thompson recommends parents follow suggestions from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and take the following steps to protect their children from disease-carrying mosquitoes:

• Eliminate any standing water around your home, including clogged gutters and pools of water anywhere in your yard.
• Dispose of tin cans, plastic containers, ceramic pots or similar water-holding containers that have accumulated on your property, especially used tires, which have become the most prevalent domestic mosquito producer in this country.
• Beware of the times mosquitoes are most active; typically at dusk and dawn, April through October, and have children avoid prime mosquito locations including marshes, swamps, etc.
• Cover children's bodies with light long sleeves, light long pants, socks and closed shoes.
• Use repellants on exposed skin whenever your children are in an area where mosquitoes may be present. This is especially important for children who are allergic to insect bites. Before applying a repellant, always carefully read and follow label directions.
• Remember that using repellants does not provide a license to go into mosquito-infested areas, they provide extra protection individuals can use when exposed to mosquitoes and other disease-carrying insects, but the goal is to avoid being bitten.
• Use repellents such as citronella candles around the outside of the house.

Dr. Thompson emphasizes insect repellents are important barriers when used according to label instructions. They are not, however, a substitute for public health measures like eliminating unnecessary pools of standing water and spraying areas where mosquitoes are likely to breed.

For parents who may question the use of pesticides and repellents to control mosquitoes, Dr. Thompson has a pointed response: "I would be much more concerned about the potential diseases one can acquire through mosquito bites than the risks of properly applied pesticides. The comparison is one of real deaths today versus hypothetical disease sometime in the future."

Additional information about mosquito control and prevention can be found at www.kidsrisk.harvard.edu and www.pestfacts.org.

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