Your mosquito net can become your ideal companion and defender at home or when you travel. This physical barrier between you and the disease-carrying mosquitoes around you can protect your health and well-being. Whether it is camping in your yard, sleeping in an incomplete house, or staying in a country with a high mosquito population, a net can keep you safe. Here are more details about this effective mosquito shield.
What to Look For
Different companies use different technologies and styles in manufacturing their mosquito nets. In choosing the right bed net, here are some pointers to remember:
- Consider the shape of your bed. A rectangular bed means that you need a rectangular net. This is ideal because your feet will be away from the net. A cone-shaped net for a rectangular bed will likely touch your feet while you sleep. This will increase your risk of getting bites while you sleep.
- Choose a big, white, tightly woven net. The material could be a synthetic thread or stiff cotton. This type of material will allow the air to move in and out of the net while you sleep. The bed net will allow you to see the mosquitoes. A total of 285 holes for every square inch makes this mosquito net breathable. At the same time, it will not allow the smallest mosquito from penetrating the mosquito net.
- Know how you will travel. If you will be traveling, you need a net that will be light and easy to carry. This type of net will allow you to move from one place to another without much effort.
- Consider treated mosquito nets. Permethrin is the common treatment used for mosquito nets. Once the mosquito touches the treated bed net, the insect dies. You can buy pre-treated nets. You can also treat the net you buy with a permethrin solution, which is available at outdoor supplies or travel health clinics.
- Always maintain your bed net. It is important to check your net regularly. See if there are tears or punctures. Mosquitoes are patient. They can spend many hours searching for that one tear or hole.
Importance of Insecticide-Treated Nets
Studies show that there are lasting benefits in using insecticide-treated mosquito nets. These nets prevented the spread of malaria in endemic areas since the 90s. They physically stopped these insects from biting people. These nets killed the insects. Another study revealed that nets increased the likelihood of a child reaching adulthood. The result was proven true no matter how far the health center was, how much the family earned, and what type the parental education was.
The Benefits of Using a Mosquito Net
Below are some of the benefits that you can get from using a mosquito net:
- It helps you sleep better at night because it shields you from mosquitoes and other annoying or harmful bugs.
- It prevents you from contracting diseases. Mosquitoes tend to carry life-threatening diseases, such as Zika, dengue, malaria, yellow fever, and West Nile virus. Research shows that malaria can end if about 75% of people in Africa start using mosquito nets.
- It is safe to use. Bed nets are not harmful to children and pets.
- It can improve your health. Better sleep from using bed nets can help you feel more energized when you wake up.
Mosquitoes are everywhere. Most of them bite at dusk and dawn. Protecting yourself with a mosquito net can prevent you from contracting many deadly diseases. It is a natural, irritant-free way to get rid of mosquitoes.
