What’s Going Around – Mosquito Resurgence

One thing Hurricane Harvey left behind is lots of standing water. That has caused a huge resurgence in mosquito populations. Mosquito larvae thrive just below the surface of shallow pools of water. As adults, they can spread several viruses to humans, including West Nile and Zika. It is especially important, these days, to reduce your risk of mosquito bites.

What to do: Avoid being outdoors around dusk and dawn, when mosquitoes swarm. Wear long sleeves when you can. The most effective repellents are still the ones containing DEET. The 20% strength will provide about six hours of protection. DEET is safe for children over eight months of age, but avoid using it on their hands, as it often ends up in their mouths. DEET can degrade plastic, so be careful with eyeglasses and camping gear. Do us all a favor - look around your yard and deal with anything that holds even small amounts of standing water.

Thought for the day: Mosquitoes will surge while we deal with Harvey. Drain that water and get rid of the larvae.

Author

Dr. Kyle Scarborough Dr. Kyle Scarborough is a family medicine physician at Family Life Medical in Conroe, Texas. Dr. Scarborough offers care for the entire family, including wellness exams, diabetes care, hypertension treatment, geriatric care, well woman exam, school physicals, and pre-ops and hospital follow ups.