The best way to avoid mosquito’s on this outdoor holiday

Nobody likes mosquito bites and that’s why Ayesha Ahmad uses insect repellent to protect her three children.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends EPA approved insect repellents containing deet, picaridin, IR 35-35,  oil of lemon eucalyptus, or 2-undecanone. 

Dr. Neha Vyas of the Cleveland Clinic says mosquitoes can attack anytime of day, so if you are going to be outdoors for a while, wear long sleeves, pants and socks, or clothes treated with the chemical permethrin. While most mosquito bites are just annoying, they can carry serious viruses like west nile and zika, so it’s critical to be on the look out for certain symptoms in the weeks after being bitten. 
 
Signs of mosquito-borne illness can include fever, joint pain and headache. Dr. Vyas says you should see a doctor right away if you get sick after a bite and he cautions to avoid scratching, because it will only make the bite itch more. 

Dr. Neha Vyas says, "You don’t know what kind of bacteria reside under your nails so if you scratch that area you could potentially cause an infection worse than the bite/// 1:51 you can apply a cold wash cloth or a cold compress."
 
To keep mosquitoes at bay from the start, make sure you clean any standing water in and around your home so they don’t have a place to breed. Dr. Vyas doesn’t recommend using an insect repellent with sunscreen in it because sunscreen needs to be applied more often and you don’t need to reapply insect spray to the same frequency. 

It’s best to apply sunscreen first, let it sit for 15-20 minutes and then apply the repellent.