As a single mom, I am pretty much in charge of my little family of two – and that means taking responsibility in providing a stable environment and life for me and my daughter. I gotta admit that this can be quite hard, though, especially since I have to maximise my budget and provide for my daughter’s education, food, leisure, savings and, most importantly, health. This includes providing supplements, vitamins, medicine (when needed) and protection from diseases.
One of the most popular diseases that is being talked about nowadays is called the Zika virus, which is said to come from mosquitoes. I find this disease extra alarming because we happen to live in a country where mosquitoes can be found, well, practically everywhere. It doesn’t help that there aren’t any known treatments or vaccines for Zika yet; so, if you’re worried about this disease, too, maybe this article will help.
5 Ways to Keep Your Family Safe from the Zika Virus
5. Avoid places that tend to attract mosquitoes.
One good way to keep safe from Zika is to avoid places that tend to attract mosquitoes. While the Philippines may be filled with the little buggers, what you can do is stay indoors as much as possible or to at least move indoors once you feel like mosquitoes are starting to bite you.
4. Eliminate things that attract mosquitoes.
While other countries may be safe from Zika because of cold weather, we do not have that luxury in the Philippines. Mosquitoes are practically everywhere, but what you can do is at least try to eliminate things that attract mosquitoes.
Open windows aside, mosquitoes love water (which is why they seem to appear in droves when it rains). So, at night, don’t leave glasses of water at your bedside or in the sink. Don’t keep flower pots in your room, either, and make sure any accumulating garbage is covered up or thrown out before the end of the day.
3. Cover yourself up.
You probably don’t want to hear this, but if you want to protect yourself from mosquitoes, you will have to cover up (read: long pants, long sleeves, socks, and closed shoes). With the heat around the metro, though, this isn’t always advisable. On that note…
2. Exercise indoors.
If you like working out or going for a run in shorts or yoga pants, you might want to switch to baggier clothes because mosquitos can bite through spandex. What a pain, huh?
1. Just make sure you don’t get bitten by a mosquito.
Obviously, the best way to keep your family safe from Zika is to avoid getting bitten by mosquitoes, in general, and this means choosing the right mosquito repellent. Some people don’t like using repellent because of the smell or the general feeling of the skin after applying it, but keep in mind that it is always better to be safe than sorry.
I’ve been using Strike Liquid Mosquito Electric Repellent lately, mostly because it is effective at its job, but also because it’s cheap (Php248.75 with refill bottles for Php174.75) and can provide 40-day protection over a 20m area. It’s also extremely convenient because you just plug it in and you won’t be bothered by any noise or unwanted odors while in use.
Strike also has other variants to suit your needs best. They have the Strike Coil Mosquito Repellent that smells nice; the Strike Patch for Kids, which lasts for 48 hours and is easy to stick on; the Strike Mat, which lasts for 8 hours and can cover a 12ft area; and the Strike Multi-Insect Killer Spray, which is eco-friendly and can kill all insects in an instant.
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Strike Multi-Insect Killer
Available in all SM Supermarkets and other leading supermarkets nationwide.
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