Speaker 1 00:00:03 Hello and welcome to our Wonder Care podcast. I'm Sheena Mitchell, pharmacist and mom of three. I combine healthcare and practical advice to support you on your parenting journey. This week I'm talking all about midges, mosquitoes and other biting insects. I'll be explaining all the different types of insect repellents so that you can choose the one that's most suitable for you and your family. I'll also give lots of tips on how to try and prevent being bitten cuz there is nothing worse. Midges and mosquitoes not only cause itchy, irritating bites, which can lead to skin infections, but they also have serious potential to carry human disease in Ireland. I'll explain this a bit more in a minute. So let's get started cuz I know I learned a lot. <laugh> preparing for this episode. Speaker 1 00:00:50 Summer season comes hand in hand with midges and mosquitoes in Ireland. I personally always associated Midges as a nuisance, which called an end to games in the garden. As a child in the evening, mosquitoes always sounded a bit more tropical and something that impacted your holidays in the sun. After looking into this area a little bit more thoroughly, I was shocked to find out that Ireland has approximately 78 different species of Midge. Midges are very, very small and can actually only fly a few hundred meters from their breeding ground. However, wind can sometimes carry them much further than that. Midges rely on damp, wet soil and mud leaves or peat. For perfect breeding sites, mosquitoes are slightly larger in size around two to three times bigger. Actually. They also have needle-like mouth parts and wings with scales. They sound like the evil twin of the Midge, but actually neither type of fly is innocent. Speaker 1 00:01:47 Both of them feed off blood and in fact, they need it to be able to continue to breed. Both types of flies identify hosts to bite through their CO2 emissions and other smells. Both types of flies in Europe have the ability to carry malaria, Zika virus, chicken ganga virus, west Nile virus, dengue virus and more. However, currently our weather protects us. Cold winters mean few of these flies survive, and so they can't grow quickly enough to sustain infection. Despite my own misconceptions, we do indeed have mosquitoes in Ireland. They have a preference for wet and marshy places, especially in the east and south of the country. Climate change means warmer conditions and warmer conditions means that mosquitoes may actually survive our winters a bit better and form large enough numbers to cause a spread of infection. Whilst Irish mosquitoes may not have been demonstrated to carry any human infections, yet the change in climate may impact this. Speaker 1 00:02:45 For example, in Italy there has been outbreaks of chicken gunna fever, not previously seen. The H P S C say that dengue fever and chicken gunna fever could potentially become established in Europe. They continue to monitor this issue and the eec d C, the European Center for Disease Control now considers this a priority. So now we know why we want to avoid being bitten other than the fact that you get really horrible, itchy, swollen sores. Let's move on to how we prevent it. The basis of preventing insect bites involves understanding that insects are attracted to us by caramels such as carbon dioxide and lactic acid, which we produce through metabolism in our bodies. The more active we are, the more of these we produce, saying that they're produced at levels high enough to attract insects even on our laziest days. So it's definitely not an excuse to be skipping the exercise Repellents work by smelling disgusting to insects to do their job or repelling them. Speaker 1 00:03:42 They don't kill insects, they just discourage them from landing on you or from biting you. There are several different types of repellents on the market and I want to explain the differences between them and discuss natural options and other tips to protect yourself and your families from bites. I just want to interrupt this episode for one little second. Okay, more than one little second, but not a lot of seconds. Summer is here and it's definitely my favorite season. The only downside is all of the circulating dust spores and pollen that can make life miserable by affecting your sleep and respiratory health. That's why I'm so delighted that saam Plus are supporting this season of Wonder Care podcast as the Saam plus device filters these Dustin pollen particles out of the air when used every night in your bedroom and circulates fresh clean air for improved sleep and comfortable airways. Speaker 1 00:04:32 I cannot believe we're on season five. Where is the time going anyway? Back to the pot. The three most important ingredients I'm going to talk about today include det Saltin and CIT Diol. The most effective insect pal on the market contain a synthetic chemical called diet, or if you prefer ethyl meite. This has been successfully used since 1946. In general, the C D C and other government and health agencies say that diet is safe to use in pregnancy and breastfeeding, and I would highly recommend this to women who are visiting areas with malaria or other insect carried viruses or disease. Different manufacturers will have different recommendations, but UK and USA agencies say up to 50% de in a formulation is safe to use in pregnancy. I do always recommend using a product in line with the manufacturer's instructions, though I'll talk about specific products in a little while. Speaker 1 00:05:30 So saltin is a more gentle insect repellant, which is also recommended by the World Health Organization. Saltin containing products such as Trek sensitive wipes are recommended over Citra diol when someone would prefer not to use det. And finally, Citra Ciol. Well, this is what the natural plant-based repellents contain. It's another name for oil of lemon eucalyptus. It's suitable anywhere between three to six months of age depending on the particular manufacturer's guidelines. However, whilst I do always try and recommend natural options, I do have to say that CIT Diol is clinically less effective than de in terms of its duration of protection. The problem with citronella based products is that it evaporates off the skin pretty quickly. Sometimes the formulation, so the way the manufacturers actually make it can help to improve the efficacy by slowing down the release. But if you're choosing a natural product for safety concern reasons, please know that diet has undergone rigorous safety testing spanning 70 years. Speaker 1 00:06:30 And once you use them safely and appropriately, it's a safer option than contracting disease. If you were choosing a natural product with the very valid view of trying to be more environmentally friendly, just please remember that these oils have to be extracted, distilled, and then solvents are used in this process, none of which are environmentally friendly, right? So that's the three main ingredients. There's de salted in and ciri dial. So some advice and product info on all three. I'm gonna start with deet. I stock two ranges on Wonder Care dot, ie. That contain de products. The first is Medicare insect repellent sprays. These come in 34 and 50% det. Fortunately at the moment, the 50% is unavailable. The Medicare range advised that it shouldn't be used in children. So if you're looking for a product for children, then I would recommend the Trek range and I'll talk a bit more about that in a minute. Speaker 1 00:07:23 Using a 50% DE obviously is very good when you're in high risk areas with the potential for the presence of malaria. Other than that, the products vary more in relation to their duration of action. So the 40% lasts up to eight hours and the Medicare 30% lasts up to six hours. Medicare advise not to use it in pregnancy and breastfeeding, and I'm not a hundred percent sure why that is as Deta deemed safe in these patient groups. However, I do always advise to stick to the manufacturer recommendations. The Trek range comes in a 20% de spray, which is suitable from two years plus and will last for up to 12 hours. Trek is also available in Amid and tick Defree pump and this product contains salted in which is the other repellent recommended by the World Health Organization and this is also suitable from two years of age. Speaker 1 00:08:12 This is a product I'd recommend using on sensitive skin as a preference to using det. They also have a natural defree pump, which is suitable from six months of age. And again, like the Medicare one, it contains CIT diol. So that's for the kind of under two year age group, so it's not gonna be as effective, but it really does provide an offering for those younger kids. A very handy product that Trek do are sensitive insect repellent wipes. And these are also deep free because they contain salted in. If you're just sitting out in the evening and you wanna make sure you don't get bitten using a lower strength DE is absolutely fine for that. So you've got the option of the trek 20% or the Medicare 30%. These last between four to six hours and can be applied twice a day, so morning or evening. Speaker 1 00:09:00 Always remember to avoid the eyes, mouth and palm of hands. So wash your hands after using them. Frequently asked questions about DE are. What do you mean that DE is a plasticizer? Well, it's highly effective as a repellent, but it does soften plastics. This means that it can dissolve nail varnish as well as damage synthetic fibers, plastic watches, glasses, jewelry, leather, and some painted and polished surfaces. So when you're using it, use it in an upright position and away from situations where leaks or spills could occur. I definitely recommend using IT outdoors in relation to using sun cream and det. Just remember that de can actually reduce the efficacy of SPF protection a little bit. So always choose a factor 50. If you're applying det, it's also important to apply your sun cream. First, allow it to absorb and then apply your repellent on top of that. Speaker 1 00:09:51 Remember to reapply deep products after swimming or heavy rain. And as I said there, be careful of your clothes. Synthetic fabrics can be discolored and damaged by deep repellents, so it's really only for application directly to your skin. If you have sensitive skin, I would be inclined to avoid deep products and go for the salted in containing products which are gentler on the skin. Always do a little patch test to make sure that you're not gonna have a reaction to any insect repellent product. So for you, people with sensitive skin, if it's for a child, you'd be using the trek Midge and tick deep free pump for over two years or the trek sensitive in insect repellant wipes. Both of those contain saltin, which is a really reliable insect. Repellant Saltin was basically developed as an alternative to diet and it can be used where bites are considered less dangerous. Speaker 1 00:10:39 So in non malar areas, et cetera, it is more pleasant to use and will be a good option during pregnancy as well. The Trek sensitive wipes have 20% salted in and last for up to 12 hours. Once applied. One packet lasts a person around one week, so if you're going away, you'd want to be bringing a packet a week person. The wipes are biodegradable and they're made of a viscous material, which should be used once and then bend with regular waste and they do degrade completely. So that's reassuring cuz I hate the thoughts of wipes and landfill. Okay, so for those kids under two, or for people who just want to avoid a chemical product, CIRI dial is a natural repellent and as I said, Medicare have a 30% repellent spray and while it's not the preferred product by the World Health Organization for children over two, it can be used for children as young as three months. Speaker 1 00:11:30 So it's a really, really good option for that age group. Also, we're trying this during pregnancy and breastfeeding before moving to Saltan or diet. Now some tips on protecting yourself and your family outside of the use of insect repellants. So the first one would be to wash regularly. That may sound ridiculous, but if you have kids that are running around playing and they're sweating loads cuz it's warm, just remember that sweat attracts insects. Also, avoid lakes or stagnant water because this is where midges and insects love to read and also sheltered and shaded spots. You actually get bitten less frequently if you're in brightly lit areas. It's a good idea to cover up as much as you can. Obviously if it's hot, that's difficult, but using loose fine woven like colored clothing can really help avoid wearing your tight fitting watches or jewelry and don't leave windows or doors open in the early morning or evening. Speaker 1 00:12:24 Try and avoid walking around at dus or Dawn because this is the time that midges are most active. Interesting fact, mid cheese can inflict around 3000 bytes per hour while, so just in summary, diet is always going to be the most recommended insect repellant, especially if you're traveling to areas where there is a risk of disease being present on the mosquitoes. Second in line would be Saltin, which is a good alternative to diet and it is also recommended by the World Health Organization for insect pals. And finally, for younger age groups or people who really want to avoid synthetic materials, then Ciol is definitely a natural option that can be considered, but I wouldn't be relying on it in an area of high disease levels. Products wise, got Trek, which has de 20% and then they have the Midian Tick Defree pump, which contains the salted in as do the Trek wipes. Speaker 1 00:13:18 And then they have a natural Defree pump, which contains ciol for Medicare. They have 30 and 40% de available at the moment, and then they have their natural option, which contains CIT dial. You can also get bracelets, little repellent bracelets. I'll link some of these in the products which contain CIT dial. And these can be helpful on young kids as well. I know when I'm walking around with my kids, if we're on holidays, I'll definitely pop these bracelets on them and often on myself too. I have been known to wear them around my ankle and look absolutely ridiculous and more to fire everyone, but I hate bites and I just seem to get constantly bitten. Another myth I just wanted to disprove is taking Vitamin B6 has not been proven to help with preventing bites. Just wanna put that out there. It's a good vitamin anyway, but it's not gonna help with bites. Speaker 1 00:14:07 Always remember to have antihistamines with you because these can really reduce the reaction that your body has to the toxin biting in sex leave on your skin. If you have any more questions, of course, don't hesitate to contact me at Wonder Care underscore IRL on Instagram or through our contact page on Wonder Care, ie. I'll link all of the products that I've mentioned today in the show notes and I'll pop a little highlight of Insect Repellants on Instagram as well so that you can go in and see which ones contain which ingredients and available to buy from there. Thank you so much for listening. If you found this episode helpful, please do give us a little like or review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. And I will be back next week talking all about the newly recommended chickenpox vaccine on the childhood schedule. I'm really looking forward to diving into that.