West Nile Virus

Posted by Leanne on Jul 12th, 2009 | no comments

It has been years since West Nile Virus was introduced into this country.  I hope you haven’t forgotten about it as it is not been getting the new coverage it did in prior years. Were you aware that there have already been 30,000 cases reported nationwide and the summer mosquito season is just getting started.

Here in Idaho we seem to be having a particularly bad mosquito season thanks to a very wet spring and, in our case, a lot of irrigation as farmers pour the water on to their wheat crops.  As soon as dusk hits, the mosquitos are out in force.  I am worried about my kids, but I don’t want to put DEET containing bug spray on them; the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends against the use of DEET on children.  Makes sense, doesn’t it?  The kid’s skin will absorb those chemicals directly into their systems.  Are there any natural and effective sprays out there?

Fortunately, there is a natural alternative bug spray called Buzz Away.  You can probably find this at a drug store; Amazon.com also carries it.  If you do get bit, you can use silver shield gel topically on the insect bites. This will help to heal the bite quickly and will soothe the itching.  Other ways to fight West Nile would be to use anti-viral products like Silver Shield liquid, VS-C liquid for kids, and Elderberry Defense from Nature’s Sunshine.

I hope that you enjoy these summer months!

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