As I wrote on a previous post, Chikangunya virus is spreading quickly in the Caribbean and has been transmitted in the U.S. in Florida, now. I am currently visiting Dominica in the Eastern Caribbean, a region particularly hit by the virus. In addition to the old standby, #SkinSoSoft by Avon, I discovered new insect repellant nanotechnology for clothing sold at #Cabela's and made by #BurlingtonLabs. Reasonably priced, I have attached a photo of the labels showing the fabric contains 0.52% permethrin, an insecticide, on one of the shirts.
We ventured into the Central Rain Forest, a national park and encountered no problems. I think it really repelled mosquitoes and other insects. Only after I removed the clothing after returning to the hotel (albeit with the windows open) did I get a mosquito bite in #Dominica. Now I will wait and see what happens.
Purchasing clothing that is pretreated with permethrin is a great alternative to buying traditional insect-repellant sprays. The CDC states that permethrin treated clothing is a highly effective protective measure against mosquitoes, ticks, chiggers, and other arthropods. Permethrin treated clothing is also very practical for consumers because this type of clothing can typically withstand up to 70 launderings, unlike spray-on repellant products, which require constant reapplications after each wash.
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