Health Briefs cautions carefree people to beware the
ultimate summer-wrecker -- mosquitoes.
There are some 3,500 species of mosquito and while not all of them are
waiting to land on an unsuspecting human and enjoy a blood meal, there are many
who certainly are. It's only the females
that bite us, but there are so many of them that it may seem like they are all
after us. According to the Centers for
Disease Control, the idea that eating certain kinds of food and wearing dark
clothes will attract the little flying demons are myths. Those with Type O blood and pregnant women
don't need to fear that they are a preferred meal because that has been
dispelled as a myth as well.
Health Briefs has found a CDC report dispelling many of the myths involving mosquitoes.
The Health Briefs TV show has learned the list of factors
that do attract mosquitoes to bite one.
They prefer men over women, adults over children and overall, larger
bodies over smaller ones. Part of this
may be because they are attracted to body heat and the carbon dioxide in our
exhaled breath and a larger body will simply produce more of both. Moreover, there is a certain chemistry in the
sweat and other skin secretions of certain people that will attract a swarm of
mosquitoes. This is why at a crowded
garden party, one or two unfortunate souls may find themselves the preferred
buffet for the local mosquito population while others get away unscathed. And unfortunately, the CDC also says that
citronella and other natural repellants are ineffective as a repellant. According to the scientists, the only thing
that works is products containing DEET, to the dismay of health-conscious,
environmentally responsible individuals.
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