Mosquitoes and the West Nile Virus Connection

With the addition of West Nile into the public vocabulary, more and more people are concerned about mosquitoes west nile virus. I am one of those unfortunate souls that are most attractive to mosquitoes and highly reactive to mosquitoes west nile virus. When I get a mosquito bite it swells up and turns a dark blue or purple color. The bite will itch for well over a week and eventually leaves a mark that takes quite a while to fade away. I would like to share some ways I have found to cope with mosquitoes west nile virus. Please keep in mind that I am not a medical professional and this is purely laymen's advice.

Beyond the typical home remedies that you have no doubt known about since you were very young such as calamine lotion and baking soda, there are a few tricks that are a bit more rugged in nature. My first response to mosquito bites is to scratch them until I think I have gotten all of the irritant out of the bite. Whether or not this is appropriate, it seems to help cut down on the length of time that I am in itching agony. Parents always tell you not to scratch at them but in reality this is nearly impossible. If you are like me and very reactive to mosquito bites, you know that you can't keep yourself from scratching no matter what. 

When traditional remedies like antihistamine lotions or sprays cannot quell the danger of mosquitoes and west nile virus, I may take a hot match head to the bite. Much like the trick some use to remove ticks from their skin, I have found that the hot match head reduces the itch factor. Just be careful of course not to truly burn yourself. A quick tap of the match head on the bite does the trick for me.

There are oatmeal bath mixes out there that do a good job of calming irritated skin but can be a mess and difficult to clean out of your bathtub. Sometimes applying an ice cube to the bite will calm it for a while. You can also apply clear nail polish on the mosquito bite to reduce itching.

If you are a walking buffet to mosquitoes and they seem to find you anywhere or they seem to bite you and no one else around you, then you might want to think about deterring the bloodsuckers. There are dozens of repellant products out there. Some probably contain stronger chemicals than should be used on a regular basis. Most repellant products that I have come across smell horrible and you have to be careful not to accidentally get any in your eyes or mouth. I have, on more than one occasion, scratched an area that had been sprayed with repellant and later rubbed my eyes. You would think that doing this once would teach me not to do it again. However, actions such as rubbing your eyes are something people do often without really thinking about it.

The best advice when it comes to managing mosquitoes west nile virus may be strict avoidance. You should try to keep yourself indoors around and after dusk when mosquitoes are most active. Make sure that you don't have any standing water around your home or backyard, as these are great breeding grounds for mosquitoes.