Question:
I have particularly delectable ankles - last night I took the trash
out to the skip at nine pm when it was dark, and by the time I got
back into the apartment I had TWENTY-TWO mosquito bites on my right
ankle, and six on the left!
Is scratching mosquito bites a bad idea? Is it only bad if you break
the skin? What about rubbing them? If scratching them is a Bad Idea,
how can I kill the itch enough not to go insane before they heal up?
And what do you recommend for a mosquito repellant that's as
non-lethal to humans as possible, but disposes of bugs? I'm really not
happy about the idea of spraying myself with pesticide before I step
out of the apartment, but I'm also not happy about being a walking
buffet!
And lastly, if I just let nature take its course and live with the
mosquito bites, what are my odds of catching a deadly disease living
in South Florida? How afraid should I be? (Don't scare me too much or
I'll never set foot outside my apartment again!)
Answer:
>I have particularly delectable ankles - last night I took the trash
>out to the skip at nine pm when it was dark, and by the time I got
>back into the apartment I had TWENTY-TWO mosquito bites on my right
>ankle, and six on the left!
>Is scratching mosquito bites a bad idea? Is it only bad if you break
>the skin? What about rubbing them? If scratching them is a Bad Idea,
>how can I kill the itch enough not to go insane before they heal up?
>And what do you recommend for a mosquito repellant that's as
>non-lethal to humans as possible, but disposes of bugs? I'm really not
>happy about the idea of spraying myself with pesticide before I step
>out of the apartment, but I'm also not happy about being a walking
>buffet!
Don't scratch the bites, or rub them. Go here for information about
treating mosquito bites:
www.drgreene.com/21_37.html
Google on "mosquito repellant" - there are several good ones.
>And lastly, if I just let nature take its course and live with the
>mosquito bites, what are my odds of catching a deadly disease living
>in South Florida? How afraid should I be? (Don't scare me too much or
>I'll never set foot outside my apartment again!)
West Nile virus is transmitted by mosquitos. I wouldn't worry about
it too much unless you start dreaming about pyramids.
