On one hand, monsoon brings a much-needed respite from the scorching heat of summer and on the other hand, it also brings with it a host of monsoon diseases, many of which are mosquito-borne. It is always better to know the best ways to prevent mosquito bites thereby keeping ourselves at bay from falling prey to mosquito-borne diseases. Avoid getting bitten has always been a concern in places where vector-borne diseases like dengue, malaria, chikungunya and Zika virus are rampant.
Make sure you follow these steps to keep yourself from being bitten by mosquitoes and falling prey to mosquito-borne diseases.
Avoid water to stagnate or accumulate in your neighbourhood: Water, be it clean or dirty, is breeding ground for mosquitoes that can bite you and infect you with malaria, dengue, chikungunya. Water in an old flower pot, a rain gutter, coolers, air-conditions or birdbath can be breeding ground for mosquitoes. Clean these places regularly and don't let water stay. Dump out any standing water. If you have a pond nearby or an aquarium in house, add some mosquito-eating fish like guppies, minnows or mosquito fish, add a fountain to keep the water moving or treat it with a natural bacteria called Bacillus Thuringiensis. The bacteria kill mosquito larvae but are harmless to people, plants and pets.
Throw away old tyres: Remove old car tyres as they are big-time mosquito haves. Before the start of monsoon, throw away old tyres and remove those lying in your neighbourhood as once water enters into them it is hard to pour it out.
Keep your water storage tank clean: Make sure you get your water storage tank clean and mosquitoes may breed in them and may multiply over time.
Trim green space: Keep your garden or any green space in your neighbourhood free from leaf litter and cut the grass so that mosquitoes get no place to hide.
Lemon Eucalyptus: The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has classified lemon eucalyptus, a registered repellent, as an active ingredient in mosquito repellent. According to the study published in the journal Fitoterapia in June 2014, lemon eucalyptus oil was found to provide 100 per cent protection against mosquitoes for up to 12 hours.
Don't accumulate garbage: Throw your garbage regularly and keep wet and dry garbage separately. Garbage is also breeding ground of mosquitoes and if not dumped on time, can be dangerous as mosquitoes will lay their egg in them.
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