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Watkins Health Tips - #16

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Because of product differences, this tip was released in two forms - one for the Canadian Market and the other for the US Market. At present, the Lotion is not available in the US market.

(Canadian Version)

June marks the official start of summer activities—fishing, camping, boating and mosquito slapping. With disease-carrying mosquitoes just itching to grab a bite to eat, they're no longer just a pest; they're a real threat. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the most effective repellents for protection against West Nile Virus and encephalitis-carrying mosquitoes are those that contain DEET. In a test conducted by The New England Journal of Medicine, non-DEET products offered little or no protection, while DEET-containing products provided full protection for several hours. DEET has a remarkable safety record after 40 years of use and remains the gold standard for protection from disease-carrying insects—it also protects from Lyme-disease carrying ticks and other pests. Watkins Insect Repellent Spray contains 23.75% DEET—the amount that provided the most protection in this study—and the lotion contains 28.5% DEET, meeting Canada's health protection standards by containing no more than a 30% concentration of DEET—just enough to keep insects from being a pain in the neck.

(US Version)

June marks the official start of summer activities—fishing, camping, boating and mosquito slapping. With disease-carrying mosquitoes just itching to grab a bite to eat, they're no longer just a pest; they're a real threat. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the most effective repellents for protection against West Nile Virus and encephalitis-carrying mosquitoes are those that contain DEET. In a test conducted by The New England Journal of Medicine, non-DEET products offered little or no protection, while DEET-containing products provided full protection for several hours. DEET has a remarkable safety record after 40 years of use and remains the gold standard for protection from disease-carrying insects—it also protects from Lyme-disease carrying ticks, as well as chiggers, biting flies, gnats and fleas. Watkins Insect Repellent contains 23.75% DEET—the amount that provided the most protection in this study—and just enough to keep insects from being a pain in the neck.

Brenda Koth, MS, RD
28th May 2003

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