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A late surge in cases of West Nile Virus in the US has sparked widespread concern. The potentially serious illness, which has this year hit every state but Alaska, Kansas and Maine, is commonly spread by mosquitoes between July and October, but unseasonal weather around the US has brought about a dramatic increase in cases in October. While public health officials battle to control the spread of West Nile, Keith Taylor of naturalmosquitorepellent.info warns that the crisis will worsen without positive action.
“West Nile, dengue fever and malaria are spread by ignorance” claims Taylor. “Mosquitoes are deadly, and it’s time we recognized that.”
Taylor, himself recovering from a bout of dengue fever contracted in South East Asia, believes that too little is being done to combat widely believed myths about mosquito safety. He argues that common beliefs that such things as garlic and vitamin B offer protection against mosquitoes are harmful to public health, and more must be done to debunk these myths and promote the truth.
A recent survey among American tourists visiting Thailand, Cambodia and Laos offered startling results that call into question the level of awareness among Americans about the risks of mosquitoes. The survey found that 45% of American tourists took no prophylaxis against malaria, 30% failed to use mosquito repellent, and 20% believed that mosquitoes could be deterred by applying Listerine mouthwash to the skin.
“The results were astounding,” remarked Taylor. “Old wives’ tales and folksy wisdom have their place, but when it comes to our health we need to set those things aside.”
If global climate change begins to affect mosquito populations in the US, Taylor claims, America may be ill equipped to deal with new threats like malaria, a disease that the World Health Organization say kills almost 1 million each year. He believes that local and national authorities must work harder to educate the public about the dangers of mosquitoes and the effective methods of protection.
naturalmosquitorepellent.info is a Thailand based organization working to promote awareness of the risks of mosquitoes. It offers common sense advice in an effort to stem the tide of mosquito-borne diseases around the world.