One of the most unfortunate things about living in Saskatchewan in the summer is the abundance of mosquitoes.
There are easy things people can do to decrease their chances of getting bit by a mosquito carrying the West Nile virus.
August is a perfect time of year for the Culextarsalis mosquitoes to breed and multiply. Those mosquitoes are perfect carriers of the virus. It’s hard to understand why someone would choose not to take necessary precautions to minimize the risk.
One thing people can do is to apply insect repellent. Its purpose is to prevent mosquitoes from sucking blood out of humans and leaving an itchy dot on the skin. It also decreases a person’s chance of catching the West Nile virus from a mosquito.
Some people claim that when repellent is applied, mosquitoes still bite so they no longer see the point of putting it on. While it doesn’t work 100 per cent of the time, it is making a difference.
For people who don’t believe in repellent because they don’t want to apply it to their skin, there are still things that can be done to help out. While outside during the day when it’s nice and hot, the mosquitoes hide out because they don’t like the heat. So head out when it’s hot and it’s unlikely mosquitoes will bite. Just don’t forget to protect against UV rays.
If a person is going to go out at night, be wary of the mosquitoes. They may be dormant during the day, but when it cools off they’ll come out with a vengeance. Wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants is a great way to keep those mosquitoes from biting the skin.
It’s not hard to stay as protected as possible for mosquitoes and possibly from getting sick as a result. Taking the necessary precautions is the best way to keep the skin as itch-free as possible and to try to avoid catching the West Nile virus.
All Times-Herald editorials are written by the editorial staff.
