As a family physician, I recommend that my patients take the following personal protection measures to prevent insect bites.

• Stay Scent-Free. Avoid using scented soaps, lotions and shampoos.

• Gear Up. Cover your skin as completely as possible. This may be challenging by the beach, but when possible wear long sleeves, pants and socks.

• Be Colour Conscious. Mosquitoes are attracted to blue, so avoid this colour and stick to neutral colours.

• Use Repellent. Repellents containing DEET are most effective for areas with heavy mosquito or tick infestation.

• Alternative Repellents. When applied frequently, citronella-based repellents can provide the same bug protection as products containing low concentrations of DEET. I recommend Natrapel®, which contains 10 percent citronella to ward off bugs for up to two hours.

• Meal Time. Be alert to the time of day when certain insects are most active such as dawn and twilight.

• Check Point. Upon returning indoors, check your children and yourself for bites.

• Treatment. Sunburn and bite treatment products should be
  
  
  included in every outdoor adventurer's travel kit.

Dr. Brian Aw is a general practitioner specializing in travel medicine.

For more tips on bug bite prevention and product information visit: www.tendercorp.com/canada.

Editors: These articles are for use in Ontario only

About The Author

News Canada provides a wide selection of current, ready-to-use copyright free news stories and ideas for Television, Print, Radio, and the Web.

News Canada is a niche service in public relations, offering access to print, radio, television, and now the Internet media, with ready-to-use, editorial "fill" items. Monitoring and analysis are two more of our primary services. The service supplies access to the national media for marketers in the private, the public, and the not-for-profit sectors. Your corporate and product news, consumer tips and information are packaged in a variety of ready-to-use formats and are made available to every Canadian media organization including weekly and daily newspapers, cable and commercial television stations, radio stations, as well as the Web sites Canadians visit most often. Visit News Canada and learn more about the NC services.