jump to navigation | jump to content

Ask The Travel Doctor-TMVC

Q: I am travelling to Thailand ( Phuket) for 2 weeks with a toddler who is 4 years old. I am concerned about her being bitten by mosquitoes and was advised that I should use a repellent with more than 40%DEET . Can you please advise if this is a good idea as I have read that it can be harmful to children ? I will be putting it on her whole body everyday and night, for 2 weeks.

Isabella, Geelong

 

A:  DEET (diethyltoluamide) is the active ingredient in many quality insect repellents, eg Repel, Rid, etc, and is very important to help avoid mosquito bites, and other insects, in the tropics. This is good protection against dengue fever, and a DEET containing repellent should be used, with sensible clothing and other anti-mosquito measures.  Repellent should be used on exposed skin with 4 hourly applications when outside exposure occurs during the day or evening, and should washed off children before bed, ideally with children sleeping under a mosquito net or in an air-conditioned room.

Products of a 30%-50% concentration of DEET are optimal for adults, and higher concentrations do not add much more efficiency. In small children under 6 years however, we prefer that a 10% product is used, as this avoids any potential issues of adsorption and toxicity. (In fact one would need to drink it to cause any problem, that's why it must be stored out of reach of children). So for a 2 week holiday, use of 10 % DEET-containing repellent is strongly recommended and will cause no problems at all.

Dr Sonny

 

Disclaimer: Information provided in this health column is of a general nature & should not replace specific advice from your own personal Travel doctor-TMVC consultation.
Not all questions submitted to the website will be answered & Users of this website should always seek the advice of a qualified health professional with any questions they have regarding their health or a medical condition.