Insect repellent to protect against corona?

Insect repellent to protect against corona?

During the past days, some interesting news came out of the United Kingdom. In Great Britain, an insect repellent containing the active ingredient Citriodiol® is used by the military as added protection against the Coronavirus / Covid-19 virus. Huh? What? Very interesting news indeed. The links to various (major) British newspapers can be found in this message.

Citriodiol® to protect against the coronavirus?

It is an ’additional layer of protection’, writes the Daily Telegraph. The ingredient Citriodiol® is said to have helped prevent other strains of coronavirus. Sky, The Sun and The Guardian also reported on this potential form of protection.

Possible anti-viral effect

Citriodiol® is the registered brand name of a formulation containing lemon eucalyptus extracts. In addition to the familiar ingredient DEET, this active substance is very effective in repelling ticks and mosquitoes.

Care Plus Anti-Insect Natural contains 30% Citriodiol® and has been available since 1994 in outdoor sports shops, pharmacies and good drugstores as natural protection against stinging and biting insects, such as mosquitoes and ticks. At Care Plus®, we keep a close eye on developments regarding the anti-viral effect of Citriodiol®. It could be an interesting addition to hand sanitisers and surface cleaners.

Anti-Insect Natural with Citriodiol

Citriodiol® is purely natural

Citriodiol®, the refined end product used in our repellents, is organically grown from lemon eucalyptus trees. There is a growing interest in products based on natural ingredients. The demand for Care Plus® Anti-Insect Natural increases every year. After applying this repellent, a fresh, lemon scent is left on the skin. This is an immediate check on whether it has been amply applied.

lemon eucalyptus tree
Lemon Eucalyptus tree

Care Plus® Anti-Tick

Tick bites can cause Lyme disease and tick encephalitis (meningitis), among other things. Care Plus® Anti-Tick Spray offers effective protection against ticks and works for up to 6 hours.

Care Plus® Anti-Insect Natural

Care Plus® Anti-Insect Natural is based on natural lemon eucalyptus extracts and contains Citriodiol®. Lemon eucalyptus is the only natural ingredient that is suitable as an insect repellent and whose effectiveness has been proven in scientific (field) studies.

Care Plus® Anti-Insect DEET

Care Plus® DEET is the strongest insect repellent for the skin. The active substance is effective against various disease transmitters, such as (malaria) mosquitoes and ticks. DEET provides up to 10 hours of protection against stings and bites.

Corona-viruksen oireet ja ehkäisy

Corona-viruksen oireet ja ehkäisy

Olemme vastaanottaneet lukuisia kysymyksiä ja kommentteja koronavirukseen liittyen. Tässä on tiivistelmä siitä, mitä on tapahtumassa ja mihin varotoimenpiteisiin sinun tulisi ryhtyä.

Tähän mennessä tapauksia on vahvistettu yli 25 maassa (kuten Isossa-Britanniassa, Saksassa, Italiassa, Australiassa ja Yhdysvalloissa). Viralliselta nimeltään 2019-nCoV, koronavirus ei aiemmin voinut tarttua ihmiseen, mutta asia on muuttunut. Tämä kanta aiheuttaa hengitystieinfektion oireita ja kuolleisuus tautiin on 2 % (joka on muuten paljon pienempi kuin SARSin ja MERSin kuolleisuudet olivat).

Koronaviruksen oireet

Koronaviruksen oireet (usein hyvin flunssan kaltaisia) ovat:

  • yskä / kurkkukipu
  • kuume
  • väsymys
  • hengitystieoireet

Oireet ilmaantuvat yleensä 2-10 päivää virustartunnan jälkeen. Joten jos oireilet ja olet hiljattain matkustanut riskialueille (kuten Wuhanin provinssiin tai Hubeihin Kiinassa) tai olet ollut lähikontaktissa (alle 2 metrin etäisyydellä tai yli 15 minuuttia samassa tilassa) tartunnan saaneen henkilön kanssa, soita lääkärillesi. ÄLÄ mene suoraan lääkärille tai sairaalaan, sillä jos olet saanut tartunnan, on olemassa riski, että levität tartuntaa muihin! Tämä saattaa kuulostaa oudolta, mutta sinun on ”eristettävä” itsesi kahdeksi viikoksi. Pysy poissa töistä ja muista vilkkaista paikoista, vältä kontaktia muihin ihmisiin.

Tänään useimmin kysytty kysymys on: mitä muuta voin tehdä ehkäistäkseni mahdollisen koronavirustartunnan? Vastaus on: käsihygienia!
Pese kätesi säännöllisesti vedellä ja saippualla ja/tai käytä käsidesiä.
Tämä virus leviää pisaratartuntana henkilön yskiessä tai aivastaessa. Pisarat laskeutuvat pinnoille ja tarttuvat muiden ihmisten käsiin leviten samalla pidemmälle. Ihmiset saavat tartunnan koskettaessaan suutaan, nenäänsä tai silmiään infektoituneilla käsillään.

Tiivistelmä koronaviruksen ehkäisystä

  • Kanna käsidesiä mukanasi ja käytä sitä säännöllisesti
  • Pese kätesi aina ennen syömistä
  • Varo erityisesti vilkkaissa julkisen liikenteen kulkuneuvoissa pintojen ja sen jälkeen kasvojesi koskettelua
  • Älä jaa naposteltavia paketeista tai astioista, joihin muut ihmiset ovat saattaneet koskea.
  • Vältä kättelyä ja poskisuudelmia
  • Avoid shaking hands or cheek kissing
  • Puhdista säännöllisesti pinnat / laitteet joita käytät (älypuhelin / näppäimistö)

Lähteet::www.who.int, www.cdc.gov, www.rivm.nl

Pro Hygiene cleansing hand gel

No water and soap available? No problem! With Pro Hygiene Gel in your bag, hand gel of Care Plus®, you will always be able to clean your hands. This small bottle of hand gel contains 30 ml and is very handy to have in your bag.

Bio soap

Care Plus® Clean Bio Soap is a concentrated biodegradable liquid soap made of organic ingredients you can use for washing.

Microfibre towels

The Care Plus® Travel Towel is lightweight, compact and easily fits in your bag. By using revolutionary microfibre, the travel towel is extra soft on one side, adding to the user comfort. The absorption capacity of the travel towel is seven times its own weight.

DEET deters mosquitoes in three ways

DEET deters mosquitoes in three ways

It is a known fact that the smell and taste of DEET deter mosquitoes. DEET has been the most effective insect repellent for decades. But there is a third way that contributes to the protection against mosquitoes. Recent research by a team of American researchers shows that contact with DEET is also experienced as unpleasant by mosquitoes.

Yellow fever mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti) prefer not to land on skin rubbed with DEET. This is written by researchers led by Leslie Vosshall of The Rockefeller University in New York in Current Biology magazine this week.

DEET is a yellowish oily substance that does not evaporate very quickly. This ensures that the layer applied remains effective longer, but the mosquito-repelling effect of the odour is limited. DEET only repels insects when they are close. This is further proof that products such as DEET-impregnated bracelets do not work, other than that the mosquito will not land on the bracelet itself, but rather on the skin next to it. However, anyone who rubs DEET on exposed skin is protected against mosquito bites for hours.

“DEET may be the most researched remedy with by far the most evidence of its safety and excellent protection against mosquitos and ticks!”

Arnoud Aalbersberg

Care Plus

The bitter taste of DEET

Possibly mosquitoes taste the substance, which is described by humans as bitter. But it is not clear whether this bitter taste contributes to deterring biting mosquitoes.

In the new study, Vosshall and her colleagues demonstrate with a series of tests that the mosquito’s legs are sensitive to DEET. A volunteer applied DEET and put on a long glove with an opening of one and a half millimetres in which the mosquito could stick its snout. In this way, only the mouthparts of the mosquito came into contact with the DEET, but its legs remained on the latex of the glove. In this way, mosquitoes were not deterred by the DEET and stung as often as test mosquitoes on untreated skin.

That is why the researchers decided to apply a layer of quick-drying glue to the legs in a subsequent trial. In earlier research on fruit flies, this was also done to investigate whether these flies can detect with their legs whether they are walking on food. In the case of mosquitoes, all six legs were covered with quick-drying glue. It turned out that they were no longer sensitive to DEET on the skin.
DEET effectively repels mosquitoes in any way. But Vosshall hopes that this insight can lead to the development of new insect repellents, which use the sensitive mosquito legs.

”It’s especially interesting because we’ve known this remedy for a long time, about seventy years”, says Bart Knols. He did not participate in the research, but is an entomologist at Radboud University and wrote the book ’Mug’ (Mosquito). Every year, some 200 million people use DEET as protection against mosquitoes.

”We just knew all along that it worked, but we didn’t know how.” Knols calls the research ’a first step in the unravelling of the functioning of DEET’. ”And if we continue in a positive way, this research might help us to find new drugs that also work well against mosquitoes.

Anti-Insect Natural

Made with natural lemon eucalyptus extracts and does not contain DEET. Natural can be used for children from 3 months and protects up to 6 hours against mosquitoes and ticks.

Mosquito Net

A mosquito net keeps mosquitoes, insects and other pests at a distance, so you can enjoy a good night’s sleep. Both at home and away!

Anti-Insect DEET

The active ingredient DEET is the most effective remedy for protection against (tropical) mosquitoes and ticks. Apply to exposed skin. The percentage is decisive for the duration of action.

Tick season started early this year

Tick season started early this year

The extremely mild winter days in our country have caused nature to be in a bit of a muddle. Hedgehogs are coming out of hibernation much too early, and ticks have free rein in forests and heathlands. 

This could be yet another year where a record number of tick bites are reported. Ticks thrive in the mild conditions of previous months – they become active as soon as the temperature rises above 5 to 10 degrees – and that is the reason why they have come out early this year and in greater numbers. A good reason to take the right preventative measures before going outdoors.

Care Plus® is committed to stop ticks every year at the start of each tick season: with information about ticks, how to prevent a tick bite and how to remove a tick. Ticks occur in the Netherlands more frequently nowadays and a bite can have unpleasant consequences. It is important to know what to look out for.

Ticks do not fall from trees, as many people think, but live predominantly in shrubs, grass and heathland, including gardens, golf courses and footpaths where you walk your dog.

A tick bite can be prevented by:

It is a good idea to check yourself and each other after having been outdoors. Ticks are small and easy to miss. Have you been bitten? Remove the tick as quickly as possible with tick pincers. Disinfect the area of the bite with some alcohol, and keep an eye on the affected area.

Awareness for World Malaria Day 25 April

Awareness for World Malaria Day 25 April

Thursday 25 April is World Malaria Day. On this day we want to raise awareness of this deadly disease that affects more than 214 million people annually. Still, more than 430,000 die of malaria, and most of the victims are children. The disease claims around 288,660 children’s lives under 5. This has to stop! Care Plus®  is committed to a malaria-free world by 2030. Will you help?

What is malaria?

Malaria is a severe infectious disease, caused by the sting of an infected mosquito. There are four forms of malaria. The most dangerous form is malaria tropica and without treatment, it can be fatal within a few weeks. Here are a few malaria facts:

• Every 60 seconds a child dies of malaria.
• 430.000 malaria deaths every year.
• Occurs in (sub) tropical regions, mainly in African countries.
• In a few regions, the malaria mosquito has become resistant to malaria remedies/medication.
• Occurs in 109 countries.
• No vaccine available, preventative medication is available.

Up to now, we have known malaria as the ’imported’ disease in the Netherlands, due to travel between the Netherlands and (sub) tropical regions. The native mosquito would not survive in our weather conditions. However, due to climate changes in Europe, it’s becoming easier for the mosquito to survive and transmit diseases. The mosquito has a good chance of survival in areas around the Mediterranean Sea. Read here for more information on infectious diseases by mosquitoes in Europe.

Well-protected when travelling

Are you travelling to a country where malaria occurs? Make sure you are protected! The risk of contracting malaria can be reduced by taking malaria pills. Also, wearing clothes that cover the skin and using mosquito nets and Anti-Insect are good ways to reduce the risk of infection.

There is currently no effective vaccine available for malaria. You can get preventive pills on prescription from your doctor when you are travelling to a malaria region. There are currently three different types of pills available, each with their own active ingredient. However, the pills are a mere preventive measure and there is still a chance you may contract malaria. Thanks to the medication, it will take longer before harmful complications occur, giving you more time to start treatment.

The type of pills your GP will prescribe depends on:

  • What malaria region you are travelling to.
  • The duration of your stay.
  • Your health condition.
  • Any other medication you are using.

Do you want more information or make an appointment? We refer you to the NPHI.

Extensive study with first vaccine

Research and developments in a malaria vaccine are ongoing. Last Tuesday, some doctors started an extensive study in Malawi in which children must be protected from the deadly mosquito. 120,000 children aged 2 and below were vaccinated with this new vaccine. The study will continue until 2023 and comparable campaigns will be launched in the coming weeks in Ghana and Kenia.

(source: nu.nl)

 

Malaria-free world by 2030

At Care Plus® we think it’s important to give travellers peace of mind with our products. Our social responsibility does extend beyond that. We are committed to a malaria-free world by 2030. Since 1992, our organization has been committed to the concept of travel and health.

We donate 1% of our annual turnover to projects that focus on ridding the world of malaria. By buying a Care Plus® product, you really do contribute to a malaria-free world!

Care Plus® supports groundbreaking scientific research of the Wageningen University Laboratory, which is aimed at finding a solution to keep the (malaria) mosquito away from humans. A study group led by Professor Takken developed attractants for mosquitoes. These attractants are used to lure mosquito populations away from African villages in order to catch them, so the risk of being bitten by a malaria mosquito is reduced to the point where malaria practically disappears.

In order to provide a solution for people travelling to malaria regions, we are interested in gaining experience in using portable mosquito traps. A beautiful innovative idea and a step closer to a malaria-free world by 2030!

 

How you can help?

You too can contribute to a malaria-free world in various ways! How? Very simple:

• We donate 1% of our annual turnover to projects with the aim to rid the world of malaria. By buying a Care Plus® product, you are contributing to a malaria-free world!

• Drive Against Malaria is entirely dependent on voluntary contributions. All donations are extremely important in order to make the missions possible. Support Drive Against Malaria and make a voluntary donation.

If you make a one-time or periodic donation as an approved ANBI organisation, this is deductible. This usually means that the tax authorities will ’refund’ 42% or even 52% of the donation. The tax authorities have given our organisation an ’ANBI’ status.

• We must say these words out loud: ”Malaria Must Die”. By saying these three words, you are contributing to a malaria-free world. A large international campaign was launched, in collaboration with David Beckham, where your voice literally counts in the fight against malaria. Watch the video below and let your voice be heard www.malariamustdie.com.

Anti-Insect Natural

Made with natural lemon eucalyptus extracts and does not contain DEET. Natural can be used for children from 3 months and protects up to 6 hours against mosquitoes and ticks.

Mosquito Net

A mosquito net keeps mosquitoes, insects and other pests at a distance, so you can enjoy a good night’s sleep. Both at home and away!

Anti-Insect DEET

The active ingredient DEET is the most effective remedy for protection against (tropical) mosquitoes and ticks. Apply to exposed skin. The percentage is decisive for the duration of action.