Mosquito nets, do I need to take one to Goa & Kerala

drzog · Nov 26th, 2006, 15:08

whoa there fella, " are safe when used according to directions." DEET safe? , i am having a flash-back to my posts in 2004 on this very subject... let me enlighten you a little...

as far as DEET goes, personally spraying toxic insecticide onto ones skin = direct path to ones blood stream + liver and brain. Us humans have ever increasing toxic loads that our bodies have to deal with, environmental mercury, cadmium, arsenic, radiations, xenoestrogens and other endocrine disruptors, etc etc... DEET just adds to the load. In the winter as mentioned their are very few mossies anyway. There are great natural oil alternatives that mossys hate that smell nice too: Teatree/citronella/geranium oil is easy to make (PM me for the recipe) and lasts for months in a base of coconut oil. Low dose essential oils in short term use are not toxic.

A famous study in the new england journal of medicine, showed that Geranium oil mixed with coconut was comparable to DEET on soldiers exposed in papua new guinea- which has very big mossies!.

This may also be of interest:

J Am Mosq Control Assoc. 1998 Mar;14(1):12-27.

Pharmacokinetics, formulation, and safety of insect repellent N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (DEET): a review.

Qiu H, Jun HW, McCall JW.

Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, University of Georgia, Athens 30602, USA.

This review is intended to provide the reader with an overview of the all-purpose topical insect repellent N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (deet), with emphasis on its pharmacokinetics, formulation, and safety aspects. N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide is effective against a variety of mosquitoes, flies, fleas, and ticks, and its protection efficacy depends on factors such as type of formulation, application pattern, physical activity of the user, environment, and species and feeding behavior of the insects. It offers an inexpensive and practical means of preventing the attack of biting insects and, more importantly, the transmission of vector-borne diseases. In both humans and animals, deet skin penetration and biodistribution are rapid and extensive, and metabolism and elimination appear to be complete. As evidenced by over 4 decades of human experience and rigorous animal testing, deet is generally safe for topical use if applied as recommended, although it has occasionally been related to side effects such as toxic encephalopathy, seizure, acute manic psychosis, cardiovascular toxicity, and dermatitis, along with a few cases of death due to extensive skin absorption. N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide may compete in metabolism with and alter the biodistribution properties of other compounds to which a subject is simultaneously exposed, resulting in an added risk of side effects. The appropriate use of formulation techniques and new formulation excipients not only offers a way to extend the duration of protection, but also reduces deet skin penetration. In addition to extended repellency, minimal skin penetration of deet should be an important consideration in the evaluation of a deet formulation during new product development.

make you own mind up, you will notice that DEET containing repellants contain a warning on the bottle " continuous use may be harmful" or some such thing...

Nick-H · Nov 26th, 2006, 15:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by SANJAY_DEL

While you are indoors, as in your hotel room, you don't need to smear any creams at all. The electronic mozzie repellants like :: Good Knight :: are available in any major store. All you need is to plug it into the electric socket. Believe me, it works just fine.

Believe me: it doesn't!

But your Delhi mossies may not be as tough as our Chennai beasts

Quote:

Also very popular are mosquito coils. These are like incence sticks that u need to burn and the smoke will drive the creatures away.

It will probably drive you away too. They stink. The poisoning I related above is a real event, it did happen! Although how anyone could be so stupid as to burn one in a small enclosed space is unbelievable.

It is better to burn your coil or use you electric gadget for an hour or so while you are out in the evening. In theory the mossies should be dead and the fumes dissipated by the time you want to go to bed: you only need to be careful not to let more in.

Quote:

While outdoors in the evenings, u cud apply a medicated cream like "Odomos", which can be had from any local chemist.

It is a lower concentration of DEET than some of the stuff they sell in UK. I find it to have quite a pleasnt smell, but, of course, not everyone likes it! It is a hell of a lot cheaper than buying and bringing. It mostly works for me.

Quote:

Malaria is not so common in winters in any case.

Why? Do all the malaria sufferers lock themselves away and not get bitten?

Yes, there are fewer mossies in the cooler weather and also in the hottest weather. Fewer too in rainy weather; but, after the rain they return with reinforcements.

There are never no mosquitoes, at least not below a certain altitude (we did this one in another recent thread, but I forget...). One nice thing about being in Ooty in July was zero mossies! But I didn't like the cold either

!

cyberhippie · Nov 26th, 2006, 15:13

I reckon you need a baseball bat for those Chennai mossies Nick. Are they on steroids or what???
Don't they have Mosfree where you are Nick, way better than Odomos IMHO and a lot easier to apply!!

Ibizabum · Nov 26th, 2006, 15:20

Cheers for all the information.

As I sleep the whole year around under a net in Europe I think I'm going to buy one any way, they don't weigh much and I'll feel happier knowing I have it there in case. Once you start sleeping in a net you find it very difficult sleeping without one!

eBay here I come!

cyberhippie · Nov 26th, 2006, 15:21

You can buy them in India but I've yet to see a good travel net option though I'm sure they exist!!

Nick-H · Nov 26th, 2006, 15:31

There are several studies on the net, some of which tabulate the effectiveness of a number of different preparations, both synthetic and natural.

Effectiveness is mostly measured in terms of how long the stuff goes on working for. DEET is always way out on top.

That is not to say that other stuff doesn't work: there are a number of things that work: but be prepared to apply them more often, and understand that only a high concentrate DEET is likely to get you through a whole night.

I mostly only use repellents when out in the evenings. Yes, that means I get bitten at home: there is unlikely to be more than one or two mossies in our (supposedly insect-proof) house at a time, but one is enough. It doesn't happen every day, and I just forget.

Also never mind this 'dawn and dusk' business: I tend to get bitten around midnight!!!! (probably reflected in the grumpiness of my late night posts

). Actually, if you are outside, particularly in a place with grass, trees, etc, dusk is a very bad time for bites.

cyberhippie · Nov 26th, 2006, 15:52

Yep Dusk is a free for all without a doubt, it's actually worth delaying dinner for that extra hour in order to avoid the worst of it. Around 8pm when it's fully dark seems to be a quieter time for mossie activity but you always get the stragglers, so cover up and use your repellant of choice!!

I'll try Drzog's rcommendation when I get back to India but confess citronela and tea tree oil on their own haven't scored highly with me if fact they were abandoned pretty quickly for the chemical nasties, which truth be told I'd rather avoid too but I haven't found a natural remedy that works for me. YET

Anybody noticed you get less bites as you get tanned?? Something I've noticed but it may well jst be wishfull thinking on my part!!

Harrowwoman · Nov 29th, 2006, 21:34

There is a personal mosquito repellent on sale (6.99 in UK), which you attach to your belt

The Blurb says:

"Only pregant females bite - this unit produces the sound frequency of 70% of known male mosquitoes and effectively drives away the pregnant female.

Clip to enable fixing to belt, lapel, collar etc

Ideal for walkers, golfers, camping in fact any outdoor activities.

Works outdoors and indoors.

No smell.

No chemicals.

Battery included."

I wonder if it is worth getting this for when I am in the houseboat in the backwaters of Kerala?

Nick-H · Nov 29th, 2006, 22:05

I bought a similar device from Lakeland a couple of years ago.

It didn't work. At all.

Lakeland don't sell them any longer.

hsaad · Dec 2nd, 2006, 19:50

Hi all,

I'll be traveling in january around nepal (kathmandu and pokhara valley), calcutta, varanasi, allahabad during kumbh mela, jaipur and udaipur.

Is it necessary to have some precautions with mosquitoes in this areas and in this time of the year? I've heard that during winter it's ok with the mossies.

Thnaks in advance,

Henrique

Nick-H · Dec 2nd, 2006, 20:25

I asked a Delhi resident in another thread if they had mosquitoes in the winter. He said, fewer, but yes.

Can't speak for other locations, but it looks like you are likely to meet a mossie anywhere in India below a certain altitude which I forget.

SANJAY_DEL · Dec 2nd, 2006, 20:50

Long-term Travelers at Much Higher Risk for Malaria Than Short-term Travelers
From the Journal of the American Medical Association:
visit http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/547504

Nick-H · Dec 2nd, 2006, 20:53

Obviously it increases the odds.

But surely you've heard of travellers that catch malaria from a bite at the airport? (yes I have: it happened to the travelling companion of my last ex-boss).

It only takes one bite, surely? Although repeated exposure perhaps gives the parasite more chance of survival.

SANJAY_DEL · Dec 2nd, 2006, 21:01

By the way. did u ever encounter any mossies inside the planes as well?

And how soon should inbound tourists apply the creams??

ananda2193 · Dec 2nd, 2006, 21:36

As far as repellent is concerned, alot of people swear by baby oil. I personally haven't tried it so don't know. But I'm sure there right, as alot of people have mentioned it.

Nov 26th, 2006, 15:08	#16
drzog Based On A True Story Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 98	DEET safe? whoa there fella, " are safe when used according to directions." DEET safe? , i am having a flash-back to my posts in 2004 on this very subject... let me enlighten you a little... as far as DEET goes, personally spraying toxic insecticide onto ones skin = direct path to ones blood stream + liver and brain. Us humans have ever increasing toxic loads that our bodies have to deal with, environmental mercury, cadmium, arsenic, radiations, xenoestrogens and other endocrine disruptors, etc etc... DEET just adds to the load. In the winter as mentioned their are very few mossies anyway. There are great natural oil alternatives that mossys hate that smell nice too: Teatree/citronella/geranium oil is easy to make (PM me for the recipe) and lasts for months in a base of coconut oil. Low dose essential oils in short term use are not toxic. A famous study in the new england journal of medicine, showed that Geranium oil mixed with coconut was comparable to DEET on soldiers exposed in papua new guinea- which has very big mossies!. This may also be of interest: J Am Mosq Control Assoc. 1998 Mar;14(1):12-27. Pharmacokinetics, formulation, and safety of insect repellent N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (DEET): a review. Qiu H, Jun HW, McCall JW. Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, University of Georgia, Athens 30602, USA. This review is intended to provide the reader with an overview of the all-purpose topical insect repellent N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (deet), with emphasis on its pharmacokinetics, formulation, and safety aspects. N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide is effective against a variety of mosquitoes, flies, fleas, and ticks, and its protection efficacy depends on factors such as type of formulation, application pattern, physical activity of the user, environment, and species and feeding behavior of the insects. It offers an inexpensive and practical means of preventing the attack of biting insects and, more importantly, the transmission of vector-borne diseases. In both humans and animals, deet skin penetration and biodistribution are rapid and extensive, and metabolism and elimination appear to be complete. As evidenced by over 4 decades of human experience and rigorous animal testing, deet is generally safe for topical use if applied as recommended, although it has occasionally been related to side effects such as toxic encephalopathy, seizure, acute manic psychosis, cardiovascular toxicity, and dermatitis, along with a few cases of death due to extensive skin absorption. N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide may compete in metabolism with and alter the biodistribution properties of other compounds to which a subject is simultaneously exposed, resulting in an added risk of side effects. The appropriate use of formulation techniques and new formulation excipients not only offers a way to extend the duration of protection, but also reduces deet skin penetration. In addition to extended repellency, minimal skin penetration of deet should be an important consideration in the evaluation of a deet formulation during new product development. make you own mind up, you will notice that DEET containing repellants contain a warning on the bottle " continuous use may be harmful" or some such thing... __________________ yours in health http://drzog.blogspot.com

Dec 2nd, 2006, 19:50	#25
hsaad Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Brazil. São Paulo. Posts: 29	Is it necessary precautions in january? Hi all, I'll be traveling in january around nepal (kathmandu and pokhara valley), calcutta, varanasi, allahabad during kumbh mela, jaipur and udaipur. Is it necessary to have some precautions with mosquitoes in this areas and in this time of the year? I've heard that during winter it's ok with the mossies. Thnaks in advance, Henrique

Dec 2nd, 2006, 20:50	#27
SANJAY_DEL Account Closed Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: NEW DELHI, INDIA Posts: 1,353	Travelers at Risk Long-term Travelers at Much Higher Risk for Malaria Than Short-term Travelers From the Journal of the American Medical Association: visit http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/547504

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Nov 26th, 2006, 15:13	#18
cyberhippie Account Closed by User's Request Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: the Netherlands Posts: 6,014	I reckon you need a baseball bat for those Chennai mossies Nick. Are they on steroids or what??? Don't they have Mosfree where you are Nick, way better than Odomos IMHO and a lot easier to apply!!

Nov 26th, 2006, 15:20	#19
Ibizabum Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Ibiza Posts: 28	Cheers for all the information. As I sleep the whole year around under a net in Europe I think I'm going to buy one any way, they don't weigh much and I'll feel happier knowing I have it there in case. Once you start sleeping in a net you find it very difficult sleeping without one! eBay here I come!

Nov 26th, 2006, 15:21	#20
cyberhippie Account Closed by User's Request Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: the Netherlands Posts: 6,014	You can buy them in India but I've yet to see a good travel net option though I'm sure they exist!!

Nov 26th, 2006, 15:31	#21
Nick-H Loud-mouthed, Noisy Bird Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 24,617	There are several studies on the net, some of which tabulate the effectiveness of a number of different preparations, both synthetic and natural. Effectiveness is mostly measured in terms of how long the stuff goes on working for. DEET is always way out on top. That is not to say that other stuff doesn't work: there are a number of things that work: but be prepared to apply them more often, and understand that only a high concentrate DEET is likely to get you through a whole night. I mostly only use repellents when out in the evenings. Yes, that means I get bitten at home: there is unlikely to be more than one or two mossies in our (supposedly insect-proof) house at a time, but one is enough. It doesn't happen every day, and I just forget. Also never mind this 'dawn and dusk' business: I tend to get bitten around midnight!!!! (probably reflected in the grumpiness of my late night posts ). Actually, if you are outside, particularly in a place with grass, trees, etc, dusk is a very bad time for bites.

Nov 26th, 2006, 15:52	#22
cyberhippie Account Closed by User's Request Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: the Netherlands Posts: 6,014	Yep Dusk is a free for all without a doubt, it's actually worth delaying dinner for that extra hour in order to avoid the worst of it. Around 8pm when it's fully dark seems to be a quieter time for mossie activity but you always get the stragglers, so cover up and use your repellant of choice!! I'll try Drzog's rcommendation when I get back to India but confess citronela and tea tree oil on their own haven't scored highly with me if fact they were abandoned pretty quickly for the chemical nasties, which truth be told I'd rather avoid too but I haven't found a natural remedy that works for me. YET Anybody noticed you get less bites as you get tanned?? Something I've noticed but it may well jst be wishfull thinking on my part!!

Nov 29th, 2006, 21:34	#23
Harrowwoman Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Harrow,Middlesex, UK Posts: 5	There is a personal mosquito repellent on sale (6.99 in UK), which you attach to your belt The Blurb says: "Only pregant females bite - this unit produces the sound frequency of 70% of known male mosquitoes and effectively drives away the pregnant female. Clip to enable fixing to belt, lapel, collar etc Ideal for walkers, golfers, camping in fact any outdoor activities. Works outdoors and indoors. No smell. No chemicals. Battery included." I wonder if it is worth getting this for when I am in the houseboat in the backwaters of Kerala?

Nov 29th, 2006, 22:05	#24
Nick-H Loud-mouthed, Noisy Bird Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 24,617	I bought a similar device from Lakeland a couple of years ago. It didn't work. At all. Lakeland don't sell them any longer.

Dec 2nd, 2006, 20:25	#26
Nick-H Loud-mouthed, Noisy Bird Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 24,617	I asked a Delhi resident in another thread if they had mosquitoes in the winter. He said, fewer, but yes. Can't speak for other locations, but it looks like you are likely to meet a mossie anywhere in India below a certain altitude which I forget.

Dec 2nd, 2006, 20:53	#28
Nick-H Loud-mouthed, Noisy Bird Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 24,617	Obviously it increases the odds. But surely you've heard of travellers that catch malaria from a bite at the airport? (yes I have: it happened to the travelling companion of my last ex-boss). It only takes one bite, surely? Although repeated exposure perhaps gives the parasite more chance of survival.

Dec 2nd, 2006, 21:01	#29
SANJAY_DEL Account Closed Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: NEW DELHI, INDIA Posts: 1,353	By the way. did u ever encounter any mossies inside the planes as well? And how soon should inbound tourists apply the creams??

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Dec 2nd, 2006, 21:36	#30
ananda2193 Maha Guru Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: you essay Posts: 1,288	As far as repellent is concerned, alot of people swear by baby oil. I personally haven't tried it so don't know. But I'm sure there right, as alot of people have mentioned it.