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Recyclers News Press
The Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention
(CDC) and the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) are working together to get the word out about
how to choose and use insect repellents to avoid in-
sect-borne infection and stay healthy.
In the United States, mosquito bites used to be more
annoying than anything else, requiring old-fashioned
remedies and maybe a ban-
dage to ward off infection.
That all changed in 1999,
when the CDC revealed that
mosquito-borne West Nile
virus was detected in the
United States, a disease that
causes febrile illness (fevers),
encephalitis (inflammation of
the brain) or meningitis
(inflammation of the lining of
the brain and spinal cord).
A "Joint Statement on Insect
Repellents from the EPA and
the CDC," issued in July re-
veals that from 1999 through
2012, mosquito-transmitted
West Nile virus caused more
than 36,000 cases and 1,500
deaths in the United States.
In addition, mosquitoes also
transmit other diseases, in-
cluding La Crosse encephali-
tis, eastern equine encephali-
tis and dengue fever, which is
caused by any one of four related viruses carried by
mosquitoes. Outside the United States, travelers may
also be exposed to mosquito-transmitted pathogens
that cause malaria, Japanese encephalitis, and chi-
kungunya, which is a growing threat in the Western
Hemisphere.
Nationwide, federal, state, and local agencies work
together to oversee and maintain mosquito control
programs that provide prevention, public education,
and insect population management services. Many
also provide information about local risks of tick-borne
diseases. Unfortunately, these services are not avail-
able everywhere in the country and cannot completely
eliminate the potential for infection.
As a result, people who spend a lot of time outdoors
for work or play should heed the Agencies' recent rec-
ommendation to use insect repellents and take other
precautions to minimize the potential for infection.
Specifically, insect repellent use is considered a valu-
able tool in the Agen-
cies' overall Integrated
Pest Management
scheme to control
populations of mosqui-
toes and ticks and pro-
tect human health.
Skin-applied insect re-
pellents offer an effec-
tive way for individuals
to protect themselves
from the increasing
prevalence of insect-
borne diseases in the
United States. But un-
derstanding which re-
pellent works for which
insects and how long
they are effective has
been a problem until
the EPA unveiled it's
new "Repellency
Awareness Graphic"
CDC & EPA Combine Forces Against
Insect-Borne Diseases
News Releases from EPA Headquarters
