Health Agencies Urge Parents to Protect Kids from Mosquitoes as West Nile Virus Cases Surge

Repellent Bug Bam! wristband is all-natural alternative to DEET products.

Los Angeles, CA (Vocus) August 12, 2008 -- Health officials across America are reporting a surge in cases of West Nile Virus and urging parents to protect children from the mosquito bites that spread the potentially deadly disease. The virus causes serious symptoms in about 20 percent of infected people, and so far this year is linked to two deaths in Arizona and Mississippi, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Arming kids with insect repellent, installing window and door fly-screens and draining sources of stagnant water are recommended protective measures during peak infection period, from early August through October, according to the CDC.

Conventional liquid insect repellents are often messy, smelly and rely on a chemical pesticide called DEET, which may irritate skin and eyes. But the new Bug Bam! Insect Repelling Wristband is the only 100 percent natural repellent scientifically-proven by leading US entomology labs to repel mosquitoes and other biting insects in 98 percent of the population.

Bug Bam Products' natural, FDA-approved ingredients safely repel mosquitoes by emitting plant odors that mask the natural body odors that entice mosquitoes. The EPA-approved natural ingredients used in Bug Bam products - citronella, geranium and lemongrass - are also kind to the environment, according to Australian outdoors enthusiast, environmentalist and founder of Bug Bam Products, Joseph M. Symond, who developed the wristband in response to the swarming mosquitoes that thwarted his wilderness adventures.

Endorsed by the National Camp Association, the fun, bright red Bug Bam wristband, which sports the words "Because Mosquitoes Suck" - protects a child or adult for up to 100 hours, unlike traditional chemical repellents, which are diluted by water and perspiration and must be reapplied throughout the day. Left unopened in the packet, the wristband remains effective for

up to two years. The product comes in packets of one or two wristbands. People with severe allergies to fragrances of essential oils should consult an MD before using Bug Bam! products.

Entertaining Solutions: For safe, hassle-free indoor and outdoor entertaining and camping, the Bug Bam Camp Grids, plastic hanging grids that repel biting insects for up to 100 hours across a 300-square-foot area. The 5-inch-square grid comes in a vapor-proof zip-locked re-sealable bag and is reusable for up to two years. Bug Bam also sells a value pack containing one grid and five wristbands.

Bug Bam's wristband and hanging grid products are now available at select U.S. retailers, including Wal-Mart and BJs and online at www.bugbam.com.

About West Nile Virus: While 80 percent of people exposed to West Nile Virus never experience symptoms, up to 20 percent suffer debilitating symptoms such as fever, headache, and body aches, nausea, vomiting, swollen lymph glands or skin rashes, according to the CDC.

About one in 150 infected people develop serious complications such as high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness and paralysis. Rarer is potentially fatal West Nile encephalitis, or brain inflammation; and West Nile meningitis, inflammation of membrane in the brain and spinal cord.

So far in 2008, WNV cases in humans have been reported in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming, according to CDC data. Further instances of the avian disease have been reported in birds, insects and animals in other US states.

Why a Powerful Natural Repellent is Preferable to Chemical Repellents: DEET, or diethyl-meta-toluamide, is the chemical pesticide most commonly used in insect repellents. In some instances DEET causes eye and skin irritations and reactions, and in rare cases, is associated with seizures, according to the National Pesticide Information Center. The American Academy of Pediatrics urges parents not to use DEET products on children younger than 2 months and to apply the products a maximum of once a day to children older than 2 months.

More Tips for Avoiding Mosquitoes:

1. Avoid fragrant hair spray and cologne.
2. Particularly avoid exposure when mosquitoes are most active, at dusk and dawn.
3. Eliminate standing water where mosquitoes lay eggs, such as flower pots, bird baths, ponds, neglected pools and hot tubs, open boats and wheelbarrows.
4. Install or repair window and door screens.
5. Report dead birds to local authorities. Mosquitoes carry the virus from birds to humans.
6. Band with neighbors to clean up stagnant water in local parks
   

Bug Bam Testimonials: "We had our annual Memorial Day BBQ. The usual uninvited bugs came out in force. We decide to try out the Bug Bam products we recently received. Within moments the annoying pests were gone. The product did its job and what my guests and I also appreciated was how easy to use this all-natural product is." -- Jeff Solomon - Director, National Camp Association

"In Oklahoma we have mosquitoes the size of small sparrows. I never heard another complaint after the Bug Bam arrived." -- Spokesperson for the National Veterans Golden Age Games in Norman, Oklahoma - VA Medical Center, Oklahoma City, OK.

"Not only did Bug Bam work, it alleviated some of our main concerns regarding the insect issue, the prevalence of Malaria and the evening inundation of insects into our one-man tents." -- Dual Olympic Heptathlete, Jane Flemming of Australia, who led a trek through the Papua New Guinea jungle.

BIOGRAPHY: Joseph M. Symond, creator of Bug Bam! Products: Australian entrepreneur and avid outdoorsman Joseph M. Symond developed the Bug Bam range of products as a result of his own frustrating encounters with mosquitoes while enjoying the great outdoors. Symond began creating natural remedies for mosquitoes back in 1998, and, seeing a broader need for a natural, chemical-free eco-friendly mosquito repellent, he developed the DEET-free food-grade Bug Bam bracelet in 2004. Symond, who lectures and speaks publically on the dangers of mosquito exposure, has expanded Bug Bam's range of products to include the Bug Bam Camp Grid and Bug Bam pet-collar. Symond's commitment to developing socially responsible products has its roots in a near-fatal attack he suffered age 14 by a Blue-Ringed Octopus, for which there is no anti-venom.