Protect Yourself Against the Zika Virus – Homemade Mosquito Spray

The Zika virus is likely to spread across nearly all of the Americas, the World Health Organization has warned.

It is a virus that is transmitted by mosquitoes. Most people infected with Zika virus have no signs or symptoms, while others may report:

• mild fever
• rash and muscle pain
• headache
• red eyes (conjunctivitis)
• a general feeling of discomfort.

The incubation period (the time from exposure to symptoms) for Zika virus disease is not known, but is likely to be a few days to a week.

Zika virus may cause microcephaly, a potentially fatal congenital brain condition, in newborn infants if the mother contracts the virus during her pregnancy. New cases of the Zika virus, which is linked to birth defects, have been confirmed in the UK.

From what is known so far, the virus does not spread from person to person like a cold, but by a mosquito biting an infected person and then on to another person who contracts the virus.

There is no vaccine to prevent or medicine to treat Zika virus. Prevent Zika by avoiding mosquito bites.

Homemade Essential Oil Mosquito Spray 

by Wendy Akin

“I hate putting chemicals on my skin, so I use an essential oil spray that has proven to be very effective. In the past couple years in the garden, none of us have been bitten even though my neighbor has a large pool of standing water. Even at a riverside campground in Louisiana, there were no mosquito bites.” – says Wendy Akin.

Ingredients for mosquito spray

• 14 ounces Witch Hazel

• 2 tsp Citronella Essential Oil

• 2 tsp Eucalyptus Essential Oil

• 2 tsp Lemongrass Essential Oil

Preparation:

Mix ingredients together, shake well and pour into spray bottles. To store more than a month or two, it is best to keep the spray in a glass bottle or you can halve the recipe.

Shake the bottle each time you spray. If it’s hot and you’re perspiring, re-apply every couple of hours.

The essential oils can be found in most health food stores. If you want to find the oils in larger quantity, there are sources online at Rainbow Meadow or Bulk Apothecary.

http://www.lifehealthandfood.com/2016/03/31/homemade-mosquito-spray/