mosquito-parts

Mosquitoes can be really annoying: from upsetting a beautiful walk on a hot night, a wonderful dinner by the sea-side, or even awake you in the night with the ZZZZZZ….ZZZZZ sound around your years.
Although some mosquitoes can be responsible for the transmission of severe diseases, such as malaria or dengue, most of them are harmless but their bites can cause unpleasant reactions in our body.
Mosquitoes that can usually bite us are pissers, bees, wasps and ants.
Due to the components of their saliva, mosquito bites can cause skin irritations, from small itchy pimples to big ulcers with inflammation, skin redness and pain. Allergic people should be double careful as they can react severely to a bite
 
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      Prevention:
 
1)      Mosquito bites are more common at dawn and dusk, during spring and summer and near water courses. Avoiding these places during this times is the best way to protect yourself;
2)      Use protective clothes, covering all your body: long sleeved shirts and pants, wear socks, avoid dark clothes (they attract mosquitoes), wear a hat with a net to protect your face and neck;
3)      Use a bed-netting to protect you while sleeping;
4)      Keep food and drinks in a close box (they can attract mosquitoes)
5)      Do not use perfumes;
6)      Do not walk on your barefoot;
7)      If you are camping check your shoes before you put them on;
8 )     Use a mosquito repellent. These products are available in different form: roll-on, sprays, lotions, patches. You can apply it directly in the skin (wrists, neck, ankles); in your clothes or in your bed. There are several repellents you can choose:
 
Chemical products –   DEET
-       EBAAP (IR3535)
 
You should follow the product instructions. Usually they should be applied every 4 hours but how long the protection remains depends on the formulation you choose. Keep in mind that if you sweet or get wet you would probably need to use it more often. Also be aware about their use in children, it depends on the product and its concentration.
 
                  Natural Products (Aromatherapy) – Citronella is the most common plant used for this purpose. Marigolds are another popular repellent.
 
You can find citronella candles or essential oil preparations to diffuse in your house or to massage in the skin. Some products contain other essential oils as well, such as lavender, eucalyptus, cedar
 
                  Nutrition – Although there is no scientific evidence that support the use of vitamin B, some people defend that by enhancing B vitamin intake, your skin odour will keep the mosquitoes away.
 
Treatment
 
If you have been bitten in the tongue or mouth or if you fell any of the following symptoms, you should look for healthcare treatment straight away:
Difficulty in breathing or swallow, generalized swelling of your body or your tongue, lips or face, a suffocation sensation, if your skin turns blue, if you develop seizures or start making noise while your breath.  
 
Otherwise here are some tips that can help you:
 
If you have been bitten by a bee or a wasp and the sting stayed in your skin, you should try to take it off by carefully scratching the spot with a paper. Do not use your fingers or a tweezers as it still may contain venom and you can spread it.
Wash the spot with water and soap and apply ice (not directly in the skin) and keep it for 10 to 15 minutes. If possible maintain the affected area under the level or the heart.
 
Conventional approach
 
If you are in pain you can take an analgesic (paracetamol). If you it itches or swell you can take an anti-histaminic (clemastine, promethazine, cetirizine or levocetirizine, loratadine or desloratadine). Always follow the informations in the product labels.
 
Alternative approach

Phytotherapy: Calendula creams help to calm the skin and the itchy.
 
Calamine: Calamine is a mineral with anti-itching properties; you can find it in creams or lotions, alone, in combination with plants in phytotherapy treatments or with chemical products in conventional treatments.