It’s mosquito season here and the fragrant mixture of OFF and Calamine lotion is wafting through the household. A couple of readers have criticized my decision to use a small amount of DEET on my daughter. But according to an article by Tara Parker-Pope in today’s Wall Street Journal, the risks of becoming sick from a bug-borne illness are much greater than the risks of DEET. The online article is for subscribers only, but here is the key excerpt:

There have been far more cases of West Nile virus from mosquitoes and Lyme Disease from ticks than cases of health problems associated with DEET, notes Kimberly Thompson, associate professor of risk analysis at Harvard School of Public Health. Last year, there were more than 9,800 U.S. cases of West Nile virus and 264 deaths. In 2002, there were 23,000 cases of Lyme Disease, which is treatable and rarely fatal but can cause long-term problems. In nearly 60 years of use, there are fewer than 50 cases of significant side effects attributable to DEET reported in medical journals, notes Mark S. Fradin, clinical associate professor of dermatology at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

So don’t say it. Spray it!

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