From the West Nile to the Zika virus, news of mosquito-borne illnesses are spreading throughout the United States. Some companies are taking advantage of the public’s growing concern by selling products that claim to protect against these viruses—but they don’t work. They advertise products such as ultrasonic devices and botanical oil-based products like wrist bands, bracelets, patches and stickers that are said to repel mosquitoes. If the product doesn’t contain at least one of the active ingredients listed below that are scientifically proven to repel mosquitoes, don’t waste your money.
While there is no vaccine currently available to prevent Zika, a good defense is to avoid getting bit by mosquitoes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests using only Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registered insect repellants that contain one of the following active ingredients:
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DEET (Examples: Off!, Cutter, and Sawyer brands)
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Picaridin, also known as KBR 3023, Bayrepel, and Icaridin (Examples: Cutter Advanced, Skin So Soft Bug Guard Plus, and Autan, which is sold outside of the U.S.)
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Oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE) or para-menthane-diol (PMD) (Example: Repel)
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IR3535 (Examples: Skin So Soft Bug Guard Plus Expedition and SkinSmart)
Both the N.Y. Attorney General and the Federal Trade Commission have issued warnings to companies marketing products as “Zika-Preventive” or that makes health claims but do not have scientific proof that they are effective. A sample of the FTC’s warning letter can be seen here.
You can find more information regarding how to protect yourself from Zika and other mosquito-borne diseases by checking out the CDC’s website.
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Business Consumer Alliance (BCA) is a non-profit company that started in 1928. The broad purpose of BCA is to promote business self-regulation. BCA's mission is achieved by assisting consumers in resolving complaints with businesses and using that complaint information, along with other relevant information such as customer reviews, to forecast business reliability. With community support, BCA can identify trustworthy and ethical businesses and warn the public to avoid unscrupulous businesses whose purpose is to defraud the marketplace. BCA also helps businesses promote themselves by providing services and tools to protect their business and reach out to their customers. BCA obtains its funding from member businesses who support the mission and purpose of the organization and who agree to abide by high standards of ethical business practices.