Travel Health Information Resource Page for Insect and tick

Read below for travel health advice on diseases and special needs from the MDtravelhealth channel.

Would you like to Edit this page? Login or Sign up!
  • Overview You can't Edit

    1

    Bites from mosquitoes, ticks, and other insects

    Mosquitoes: To prevent mosquito bites, wear long sleeves, long pants, hats and shoes (rather than sandals). Apply insect repellents judiciously to exposed skin and clothing. Repellents containing DEET (N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide) are recommended for areas where travelers may encounter potentially life-threatening mosquito-borne diseases, such as malaria and yellow fever.

    Products containing lower concentrations of DEET are as effective as those with higher concentrations, but for shorter periods of time. On average, products containing 100% DEET will be effective for 9.5 hours, 30% DEET for 6.5 hours, 15% DEET for 5 hours, 10% DEET for 3 hours and 5% DEET for 2 hours. Controlled release preparations containing 20-35% DEET, such as Ultrathon, may be effective for 8-12 hours or more. Factors such as high temperature, humidity, sweating, and water exposure may reduce the duration of a repellent's effectiveness.

    In general, adults and children greater than 12 years of age should use preparations containing 25-50% DEET. Preparations containing higher concentrations of DEET carry greater toxicity with little additional benefit. Children between 2 and 12 years of age should use preparations containing no more than 10% DEET, applied sparingly. If children require prolonged protection, it is safer to use low-concentration DEET, reapplied when needed, than to use high-concentration products. Neurologic toxicity has been reported from DEET, especially in children, but appears to be extremely uncommon and generally related to overuse. DEET-containing compounds should not be used on children under age two.

    The Centers for Disease Control states that the recommendations for DEET use in pregnant women do not differ from those in nonpregnant adults.

    Insect repellents should not be applied to eyes, mouth, cuts, wounds, or irritated skin. If this accidentally occurs, the affected area should be rinsed promptly with water. Do not apply to skin under clothing. Do not use repellents in enclosed, poorly ventilated areas or near food. Children should not be allowed to apply their own repellents. Do not apply to children's hands, since they may put these in their mouths. Insect repellents should be washed off with soap and water when no longer needed.

    DEET-containing products may also be applied to garments, window screens, mosquito nets, tents, and sleeping bags, though care must be exercised, because DEET may damage certain plastics and synthetic fabrics. If DEET is applied to clothing, the garments should be washed before worn again.

    A newly developed repellent called picaridin (Bayrepel) appears to be about as effective as DEET when used in comparable concentrations. Unlike DEET, picaridin does not have any odor or stickiness and does not have the potential to damage synthetic fibres. However, the only product currently marketed in the United States (Cutter Advanced) contains only 7% picaridin, which requires reapplication every 3-4 hours, comparable to 10% DEET. Higher concentration products are available in Europe and Australia.

    Though less effective, insect repellents containing certain botanical products may be an option when the duration of insect exposure is short or when the risk of contracting a serious infection from mosquito bites is small. A preliminary study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that those containing oil of eucalyptus (Fite Bite Plant-Based Insect Repellent, Travel Medicine; and Repel Lemon Eucalyptus Insect Repellent, WPC Brands) provided protection against mosquito bites for an average of two hours, and a product containing soybean oil (Bite Blocker for Kids, HOMS) was effective for an average of 90 minutes. By contrast, repellents based on citronella prevented bites for less than 20 minutes and are not recommended. Oil of lemon eucalyptus should not be used on children less than three years of age.

    For additional protection against mosquito bites, products containing permethrin, a contact insecticide, may be applied to clothing, shoes, tents, and bed nets. Studies have shown that permethrin-impregnated bednets are more effective than untreated ones. When bed nets are not washed, the insecticide remains effective for several months. Even when items such as clothing are laundered, permethrin treatments remain effective for at least two weeks. Permethrin should be reapplied after every five washings. There is no signifcant toxicity when applied to clothing, but permethrin should not be applied directly to skin.

    Sleeping quarters should be protected from mosquitoes. Windows should be closed or screened. If sleeping outdoors or in an accommodation that allows entry of mosquitoes, a bed net should be used, preferably impregnated with insect repellent, with edges tucked in under the mattress. The mesh size should be less than 1.5 mm. Mosquito nets can be purchased online from Long Road Travel Supplies. If sleeping in an area not otherwise protected, mosquito coils, which fill the room with a vapor of insecticide, may be useful. Coils which contain dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) should be used with caution.

    Repellent-impregnated wristbands are not effective.

    Ticks: Follow the same precautions as for mosquito bites, except that boots are preferable to shoes, with pants tucked in. In rural or forested areas, where most tick bites occur, perform a thorough tick check at the end of each day with the assistance of a friend or full-length mirror. Ticks should be removed with tweezers, grasping the tick by the head. Many tick-borne illnesses can be prevented by prompt tick removal. Insect repellents based on botanical products, described above, have not been adequately studied for insects other than mosquitoes and cannot be recommended at present to prevent tick bites.

    Sandflies: Follow the same precautions as for mosquito bites, except that netting must be finer-mesh (at least 18 holes to the linear inch) since sandflies are smaller.

    Tsetse flies: Insect repellents are ineffective. The best means of prevention is to avoid areas infested with tsetse flies, which are usually known to local inhabitants. Travelers at risk should wear long sleeves and long pants of medium weight fabric in neutral colors that blend with the environment. Also, travelers should avoid riding in the back of open vehicles, since dust may attract tsetse flies, and should take care not to disturb bushes (where tsetse flies rest) during the warmer parts of the day. For further information on personal protection measures, go to Health Canada.

    If allergic to bites or stings, be sure to bring along a self-administered epinephrine injection, such as EpiPen.

    From the World Health Organization (WHO)

    Vectors of diseases (Part 1) (PDF) Weekly Epidemiological Record , Vol. 76, 189, 2001.

    Vectors of diseases (Part 2) (PDF) Weekly Epidemiological Record , Vol. 76, 201, 2001.

    From the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

    Protection against Mosquitoes, Ticks, Fleas and Other Insects and Arthropods

    Updated Information regarding Insect Repellents

    Insect Repellent Use and Safety

    From the New England Journal of Medicine

    "Comparative Efficacy of Insect Repellents against Mosquito Bites" (Mark S. Fradin, M.D., and John F. Day, Ph.D.; NEJM, July 4, 2002; 347:13-18)

    From the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

    Reregistration of the Insect Repellent DEET

Back to Page Index

Page drop box for Insect and tick

Do you have any comments on this resource page? We want to tell the Red Planetter community about this condition or advice.

You don't need an account or have to sign up or anything!

Is there anything missing that you know about? Or can you offer any insightful tips from your experience?

You can earn Reputation score by joining our community and also enrol on the TravelTip$ program and get paid for good advice by other travellers.

If you are not logged in, or choose to make the drop box anonymously you can tell the community honestly what you seen without any concern. Please send images or other evidence to support your claims.

Drop image here or click to upload

     

     

    The MDtravelhealth channel is a source of travel health information for travellers, written by medical professionals.

    MDth Navigation

    Page is maintained by

    The MDtravelhealth channel relies on medical professionals from all over the world to maintain the Travel Health Information on these pages.

    Nobody :(
    Are you a Doctor, nurse or other Medical professional that feels they can update this page? Please login or sign up and select MDtravelhealth Channel in the Account Area.

    Topic Tags for Insect and tick

    Topic Tags are what bind the Red Planet Travel site together, and are very important.

    This place has been tagged:

    If you think those tags are not perfect, then please let the person responsible for this page know by dropping a note in the anonymous drop box below, or better yet sign up or login and join our community, once you've got enough reputation score you can edit them yourself!

    Got a Question?

    ?

    Ask any travel related question or help others with your experience and earn Reputation Score and become a valued member of our community.

    MDtravelhealth Medical Contributions

    Before you apply read about the Medical Professionals Roles on Red Planet Travel

    You need to be logged in and have applied to MDth channel to contribute to this page.

    Have something to Contribute?

    We are looking to grow the information on this site, if you have something to contribute to any page then we'd like to hear from you.

    What's more you can now earn money (paid direct via Paypal) for writing descriptions about places you know.

    You will need to tell other members about yourself and your relevant knowledge and experience about what you want to contribute about.

    Look below for some example page types, and types of people whose views on a place might be useful to know.

    Page Type: Hotel

    Are there any special benefits or adaptations that this Hotel or it's location has that you can comment on in your capacity as a Doctor

    Tell us your job, knowledge, experience..

    My Experience: Doctor

    This hotel has great CPR equipment and I can see the team are all trained

    If you are the owner/manager of any place, then you can, of course, take control of your page and add relevant information other visitors might want to know