Dengue Prevention and Mosquito Repellents

Dengue cases have risen over 347% in Malaysia this year!

We want to do everything we can to ensure that dengue stops spreading. The team at The Safety Educator has been reviewing all of the current scientifically peer-reviewed data on Dengue Prevention and Mosquito Repellents.

We have developed a comprehensive document based on our findings, and in particular ensured that NONE of the outcomes were based on our opinions or feelings, but rather on evidence.

The below link takes you to a three page PDF outlining the results of our studies, as well as providing all references so you can confirm the results yourselves. A summary of the findings can be found below:

• DEET is the most effective repellent to use on kids and adults (interestingly the risk of seizures associated with DEET was related to ingestion and incorrect application, and was estimated by the EPA to occur in one per 100 million users – you are significantly more likely to be struck by lightning!)
• No repellents should be used on babies under 6 months, rely on netting and staying away from mosquito areas.
• If you have a negative reaction to DEET and the user is over 6 months but under 3 the only other (evidence based) option is IR3535, if the user is over 3 they may also consider Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus or Picaridin.
• We could not find any evidence to confirm the effectiveness of repellant patches or arm bands.
• We could not find any evidence to confirm the effectiveness of Bug zappers and ultrasonic devices.
• Mosquito coils only provide minimal resistance in a 2m radius.

See below for the Document and Fact Sheet.

Maree Haley - Founder and Director

Maree has over five years of experience in Occupational Health and Safety and in the development of safety standards, training workshops and improvement initiatives. She is passionate about health, safety and education. Maree, a mother of two children, has a Advanced Diploma in OHS and will be graduating soon with a B.Sc. (HSE) from Australia.