With all of these recent reports of Triple-E and West Nile you're no doubt thinking about the safety of your children. 7Healthcast reporter Dr. Deanna Lites has more on the measures you can take to protect them from these dangerous viruses.
When it comes to protecting adults from mosquito bites insect repellent is a must.
Health experts say it's also the way to go with small children, but you need to follow some guidelines. Look for a repellent that contains deet.
"The recommended repellents now are deet, an ingredient in insect repellents for a long time and it is safe to use in kids over the age of two months," Dr. Shari Nethersole, of Children's Hospital in Boston, said.
Dr. Nethersole says insect repellents with the ingredient Picaridin can also be used in kids.
There aren't any specific guidelines. It's felt to be safe, it's felt not to have significant toxicity to it.
When applying insect repellent to children...
"They shouldn't spray it directly on the child, they should spray it in their hands, rub their hands together and then apply to child," Dr. Nethersole said.
And don't apply repellent under clothes because it can heat up and there's more of a chance it can be absorbed into your child.
Other ways to protect children from mosquito bites are to dress them in protective clothing, long pants and long sleeves. Avoid being outdoors at dusk and dawn which are peak times for mosquitoes to bites and avoid playing around standing water where mosquitoes may breed.
Since infants under two months shouldn't use insect repellent make sure to dress them properly and put mosquito netting over their strollers if they have to be outside.
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