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Don't Spray It on Your Face, and ter Tips
<br />Proper use is essential, even with safer
<br />repellents. That means:
<br />• Apply repellents only to exposed skin or
<br />clothing (as directed on the product label).
<br />Never put it on under clothing. Use just
<br />enough to cover and only for as long as
<br />needed; heavy doses don't work better.
<br />• Don't apply repellents over cuts, wounds,
<br />or irritated skin.
<br />• When applying to your face, spray first on
<br />your hands, then rub in, avoiding your eyes
<br />and mouth, and using sparingly around ears.
<br />• Don't let young children apply. Instead, put
<br />it on your own hands, then rub it on. Limit
<br />. Danger ■ Bite
<br />MOSQUITO -BORNE DISEASES
<br />West Nile was reported in 47 states last year
<br />and killed 85 people in the U.S. Chikungunya
<br />isn't as widespread — yet —or as deadly. Of
<br />the almost 2,500 cases reported in the
<br />continental U.S. since January 2014, there
<br />were no deaths, and only 11 cases were from
<br />bites received in the continental U.S. (all in
<br />Florida). The rest were brought back from the
<br />Caribbean, Asia, or Africa. But experts worry
<br />that chikungunya may be prone to large
<br />outbreaks in urban settings. The mosquitoes
<br />that carry it bite all day long. Plus, roughly
<br />70 to 90 percent of infected people develop
<br />symptoms, compared with 20 percent of
<br />those infected with West Nile.
<br />WHAT TO DO See a doctor if you develop
<br />signs of either disease: fever, headache, and
<br />body aches for West Nile; and fever and joint
<br />pain for chikungunya. Both are viral, so anti-
<br />biotics won't help. But over - the - counter pain
<br />relievers can ease symptoms.
<br />TICK -BORNE DISEASES
<br />Lyme disease affects about 300,000 people
<br />each year, mostly in the Northeast and Upper
<br />Midwest. But that geographic reach is expand-
<br />ing, and doctors in new areas may be less familiar
<br />with the disease. Other tick - related diseases in-
<br />clude Rocky Mountain spotted fever, most often
<br />in North Carolina, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennes-
<br />see, and Missouri; babesiosis, in the Northeast
<br />and Upper Midwest; ehrlichiosis, in the Midwest
<br />and South; and an emerging virus, Powassan,
<br />mainly in the Northeast and Great Lakes region.
<br />WHAT TO DO See a doctor if you develop a
<br />bull's -eye rash accompanied by flu -like symp-
<br />toms, which indicates Lyme. Prompt treatment
<br />can stop the infection and prevent more seri-
<br />ous complications, such as joint pain and facial
<br />paralysis (Lyme disease); heart, joint, or kidney
<br />failure (Rocky Mountain spotted fever); blood
<br />clots and bleeding (babesiosis); difficulty
<br />breathing or bleeding disorders (ehrlichiosis);
<br />and neurological problems ( Powassan).
<br />use on children's hands, because they often
<br />put their hands in their eyes and mouths.
<br />• Don't use near food, and wash hands after
<br />application and before eating or drinking.
<br />• At the end of the day, wash treated skin
<br />with soap and water, and wash treated cloth-
<br />ing in a separate wash before wearing again.
<br />SKIP
<br />COMBO
<br />PRODUCTS
<br />Repellents
<br />with sun-
<br />screen aren't
<br />a good idea.
<br />The Deal With
<br />Skin So Soft
<br />How did a bath oil develop
<br />a reputation as an insect
<br />repellent? Avon's Skin So Soft
<br />makes no repellent claims,
<br />and its ingredients — mineral
<br />oil and emollients —are purely
<br />cosmetic. But because it had
<br />so many fans, we tested the
<br />pump spray —in 1993 —and
<br />found that it did not fend
<br />off mosquitoes at all. Other
<br />Skin So Soft products are
<br />now marketed as repellents.
<br />One, Skin So Soft Bug Guard
<br />Plus IR3535 Expedition,
<br />combines a repellent with
<br />sunscreen. But we think
<br />such products are a bad
<br />idea: Sunscreens should be
<br />applied liberally and often,
<br />so the combo could lead to
<br />unnecessarily high doses of
<br />the repellent. We haven't yet
<br />tested Avon's stand -alone
<br />repellent, Skin So Soft Bug
<br />Guard Plus Picaridin, but
<br />we plan to include it in our
<br />next round of testing. That
<br />product contains just 10 per-
<br />cent picaridin. In our tests
<br />of similar products, the two
<br />with 20 percent picaridin
<br />performed very well, and the
<br />one with 5 percent didn't.
<br />CONSUMER REPORTS 37
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