It has been reported that there is an increase in the number of cases of Dengue, Malaria, and other mosquito-related diseases in Mumbai. Now along with Covid 19 cases, there is one more worry for the govt, and that is how to contain these diseases.
These types of diseases are more prominent in the monsoon season, as monsoon brings a lot of woes, like floods and landslides, falling trees, waterlogging, blocked roads, power issues, and even more troublesome, happens to the diseases like Malaria, Dengue, and Chikungunya. All these diseases are because of mosquito bites, and hence, people are advised to stay safe and avoid mosquito bites. But one cannot do much about stagnant water in the area around you. What we can do is to take care at a personal level to ensure that within the house, we avoid Mosquitoes and their Bites. We should take care to avoid mosquito bites even when we step out as well. Here are few tips to stay safe from mosquito bites:
Plug all openings in the house
While mosquitoes are a year-long problem, their breeding happens in the monsoon, as there is water stagnation in many parts. Hence precautions should be taken that mosquitoes do not enter the house. Look for all holes or openings in the doors and windows or the netted doors and windows. The mosquitoes enter through these holes and they can stay and survive inside and can bite the inmates. All windows and doors should be kept closed especially in the evenings.
Use mosquito nets/repellents
The nature of mosquitoes is such that, even if we take extreme care, they somehow find ways to sneak in; hence it may be a good idea to use mosquito nets at night when you are sleeping.
There are many mosquito repellent creams and spray available in the market nowadays, and few organic and natural ones as well. You could check out the products and see what works best for you. If required, mosquito repellent sprays can be used in the house. You could also use the creams on the body or even clothes you wear, to make sure that the mosquitoes are repelled. There are also patches that you can use to repel mosquitoes. There are also many repellent products that can be plugged in, overnight or during evenings to repel or kill the mosquitoes.
Wear covered clothing
Wear comfortable, cotton clothing, preferably the kind that covers your body fully, and makes it difficult for the mosquitoes to access your body. Avoid going out to the extent possible, and use body or cloth-based mosquito repellents, whenever you step out, even if you are dressed adequately to avoid bites.
Some natural tips
Tulsi plants are said to repel mosquitoes and hence you can keep them near the windows. Camphor is also said to repel mosquitoes, and camphor can be placed in water or in few places across the house, just to make sure that this is out of reach of children and pets. Eucalyptus, Peppermint, and Lemongrass oil are also said to have mosquito repellent properties, and you can spray or diffuse these in the house to have a pleasant aroma, as well as keep mosquitoes at bay.
In the end, one bite is all it takes to bring you down with Dengue, Malaria, or Chickengunya, and in old age recovering from these can be more tiresome and time-consuming than in the younger age. So as the saying goes, prevention is indeed better than cure, and hence stay safe and enjoy life.
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Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
14th September 2021