Reduce Your Exposure to Mosquitoes

What are the ways to reduce exposure?

• Stay indoors, especially during dusk and dawn, when mosquitoes are most active.
• If you must go outside wear tightly woven loose fitting clothing and insect repellant.
• Wear enough insect repellent to cover skin and clothes that contains one of the following DEET, Picaridin, Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus/PMD, or IR3535.
  • o Do not use repellents under clothing. o Never use repellents over cuts, wounds, or irritated skin.
  • o Spray repellant on hands first and then apply to face and do not apply to eyes, mouth, and apply sparingly around ears.
  • o For children, apply repellant to your own hands first and then put it on the child.
  • o After returning indoors, wash treated skin and clothes with soap and water.
• If you or your child has a reaction, like a rash, to insect repellent, stop using, wash it off with mild soap and water, and call a local poison control center for further guidance. If you go to a doctor, take the repellent with you.
• Keep window and door screens shut and in good condition. Repair holes.
• Inspect your yard for places a mosquito could use to breed
  • o Dispose of containers that collect water, like buckets, cans, bottles, and jars
  • o Repair leaky pipes and outside faucets, unclog drains and gutters
  • o Empty and scrub birdbaths, pet bowls, and animal troughs to get rid of mosquito eggs.
  • o Discard unused tires, wheelbarrows, tubs, wading pools, or store them under covers when not in use.
  • o Keep weeds, vines, and grass trimmed
  • o Fill tree holes with sands or mortar
  • o Change water in vases and pots holding flowers twice weekly

Where can I find more information?

• Visit www.cdc.gov and type Arboviral in SEARCH box.