How to make non-DEET Mosquito Repellant and learn to love Zika Virus

In all this furore over the Zika Virus, including the cover-up by the Minister of Health Horace Dalley as pointed out in my blog article entitled “Why the Ministry of Health is covering up Local Transmission of Zika Virus in Jamaica”, it looks as if I overlooked something super obvious.

 

Causation does not equal correlation.

I say this in light of the fact that Colombia has diagnosed some 3,177 Pregnant Women with the Zika Virus and is now in a wait-and-see mode to determine if any babies are being born with microcephaly as noted in the article “Colombia Diagnose 3,177 Pregnant Women With Zika, But No Microcephaly”, published Saturday February 6, 2016, The Jamaica Gleaner.

Three (3) in Colombia have died from the rare nerve disorder called Guillain-Barre disorder with three other deaths being investigated as noted in the article “Three Develop Rare Nerve Disorder After Contracting ZIKV In Colombia, Die”, published Saturday February 6, 2016, The Jamaica Gleaner.   

So despite the lack of the Zika virus being established as the true cause of these conditions, the WHO (World Health Organization) to declare the Zika virus a Global Epidemic, erring on the side of caution as noted in the article “Zika Virus a Global Health Emergency, W.H.O. Says”, published Monday February 1^st 2016 by Sabrina Tavernise and Donald Mcneil jr, The New York Times. 

Which makes me wonder.... is this panic is somehow being magnified by the media in much the same way sunlight can be magnified by a glass bottle to burn an ant?

Media sensationalization of the Zika Virus - Chikungunya might have already made us immune

Ok, some facts!

First thing off the bat is the cases of microcephaly in Brazilian babies being associated with the Zika Virus as noted first in my blog article entitled “739 Zika Virus Cases in Brazil and 2 adult deaths - How Zika Virus is causing birth defects in unborn Brazilian babies”. 

 

This is just a correlation as scientists have yet to establish causation; it could be a case that microcephaly was always common to babies born to Brazilian women, especially given their poor environmental track record.

Ditto too reports of it being transmitted by body fluids such as from kissing, touching or sexual intercourse as noted in the article “Active Zika found in saliva and urine” published Friday February 5th 2016 By James Gallagher, BBC News. 

We simply do not know enough about the Brazilian cases as well as the mechanism by which the Zika virus works to make such a declaration.

But the travel bans are understandable and in fact, may end up boosting tourism arrivals to Jamaica as reported in the article “Jamaica Added To US Zika Travel Advisory List”, published Thursday February 4, 2016, The Jamaica Gleaner.  

So too are twenty eight (28) day blood donations from persons infected with the Zika Virus as noted in the article “Zika virus sees blood ban on donors returning to UK from Latin America”, published Wednesday 3 February 2016  by Adam Withnall, The UK Independent.

Secondly, the symptoms of the Zika Virus, which take four (4) to seven (7) days after the initial infection to manifest and last for up to four (4) weeks or longer, are not much different from the common cold:

1.      Conjunctivitis

2.      Fever

3.      Headache

4.      Joint and muscle pain

5.      Rash

6.      Swelling of the lower limbs

7.      Weakness

In fact, 80% of adults infected with the Zika Virus, as suggested by the video above, show now outwards signs of being ill or suffer any adverse effects. So even if the Ministry of Health cover-up as it relates to a local spread of the Zika Virus is real, given that the Aedes Aegypti mosquito can breed in swamps and stagnant water in gullies, does it make a difference?

 

After all, we'll soon be infected and recover just as quickly as we did from the Chikungunya Virus as noted in my blog article entitled “Minister of Health comes clean on Chikungunya Virus Epidemic - 35 Official Cases as 60 percent possibly Infected and Medicines running low”, developing immunities along the way.

Plus there may be the possibility that if you had caught the Chikungunya Virus, you already have immunities from the disease. This is good news for the vulnerable as listed below:

1.      Babies

2.      Children suffering from an illness

3.      Elderly persons with other health problems

They will suffer, but not as badly as they did from the Chikungunya virus. Still precautions such as changing ones diet to include more vitamin C and B12 supplements as explained in my blog article entitled “Why the US of A must fear Zika Virus as Dominica and Jamaica next by February 2016”, will help you recover faster.

Also the following precautions work just as well:

1.      Wearing long-sleeved clothing or long pants

2.      Using DEET insect repellents

3.      Sleeping under mosquito nets

4.      Removing or covering container that can hold water

But what if you cannot afford to purchase a DEET Insect repellant? Worse, how do you apply it to your baby, as their skins are sensitive and might blister if you rub DEET directly on their soft skin?

How to make you own non-DEET mosquito repellant - Save money on protecting yourself from Zika

That's right dear reader! You can make your own non-DEET insect repellant using the following essential oils:

1. Castor oil
2. Catnip Oil
3. Citronella Oil
4. Clove oil
5. Garlic oil
6. Geranium
7. iso-propyl alcohol
8. Lemongrass oil
9. Neem oil
10. Pimento oil
11. Rosemary oil
12. Soy Oil

To make the repellant, simply blend the above ingredients in pure iso-propyl alcohol to a puree. Then leave to stand to seep for at least 2 days. After it’s done seeping, strain using a fine mesh cloth, keeping the puree to make more later.

The alcohol suspension of essential oils is highly concentrated and will repel most mosquitoes for at least three hours after application. Best of all, it won't irritate the skin.

Combined with the following precautions to reduce the breeding areas for the Zika Virus as shown in the CARPHA Yard Poster below, the chances of being bitten by an Aedes Aegypti mosquito carrying the Zika Virus will be greatly reduced.

 

Still, the Ministry of Health has to come clean on the local spread of the Zika Virus as well as the fact that the Aedes Aegypti mosquito can reproduce in stagnant water in gullies and slow-moving streams.