dengue fever and all such thing.....

We will visit Florida in the last week of June, and first 10 days of July.

We are adware that it can rain a lot, and that the mosquitos also plan to spend their holiday in Florida around that time.

I have read on internet, that dengue fever, west nile virus, and even malaria can occur in Florida, espesially in the rainy season. Shall we start being paranoid or what?

dengue fever and all such thing.....

I wouldn%26#39;t worry too much. I rarely see mosquitoes (they seemn to be the disease carriers) near the beach area in Fort Lauderdale.

On Long Island, in NY (my other home) there is a problem with West Nile every year. It seems to mostly affect the very young and elderly. We are always cautioned to make sure that there is no stagnent water on our properties and to report any dead birds. It seems to affect birds more than people The towns spray for pests when needed.

I suppose it could be a problem if you were planning on visiting the Everglades area. I would suggest you wear bug spray and wear lightweight long pants and long sleeved shirts should you go there.

You will have a great trip, enjoy it.

dengue fever and all such thing.....

I don%26#39;t really think you%26#39;ve got much to worry about. If you start taking yeast or thiamin tablets now there should be enough in your system to deter mozzies. Apparently they don%26#39;t like the smell that comes from the yeast so they don%26#39;t bite you. I don%26#39;t really get bitten too much but the mozzies and the noseeums love my husband. He used Avon Skin so Soft on our last vacation and hardly got troubled at all with bites. The greasy film on the skin means that the noseeums can%26#39;t get a grip to bite you (so I%26#39;m told). It did seem to work although he did smell a bit feminine all vacation LOL!

As Pat and Sue said, you probably won%26#39;t have a problem.

Sue - I tried Skin So Soft one time as someone told me how it acted as a repellant. It reacted just the opposite with me and I became a target for every mosquito within miles! Glad it worked for your husband - better smelling feminine than itching! :)

We were told to try and get unperfumed Skin so Soft but they don%26#39;t sell it in the UK. So I got the one in the turquoise bottle - Soft %26amp; Fresh (I think). I did notice that the Avon stand at Sawgrass had the unperfumed version. The Skin so Soft bath oil is supposed to be good too, but it would be no use to us at the Cocobelle no bath tub. I don%26#39;t think it acts as a repellent - just stops with little blighters landing on you and getting a grip, or perhaps they can%26#39;t sting through the layer of oil. My Dad was in the British army stationed in tropical climes for a long time and he used to say that drinking a lot of beer stopped him from getting bitten. I think it was just an excuse for having a good old drink LOL!

I will add my voice to the others and assure you it is not likely to be a problem . I%26#39;ve lived here over 30 years and the mosquito control is excellent in the populated areas. I have never had a bite ! As others said, it is a problem out west in the Everglades- so if you go there ( not advised in the summer- it%26#39;s much hotter and too buggy out there then) you must used insect repellent ( along with the sunscreen and a hat and covering for arms and legs and lots of water LOL!) as they can be pesky there- but the reports of disease from them are as rare as being struck by lightening! Relax and have fun in FL!

Hey Sue - I think I would much rather fight the mosquitos from the inside out and drink beer over slathering myself in Skin So Soft!! LOL

Ooh! I agree - I%26#39;ll try the beer cure myself for the next few days and post a report ( if I can still find the keyboard!)All in the name of science you understand!

That%26#39;s one of the great things about you Lulu - you%26#39;re always willing to do anything you can to help the population!!

';Can occur'; and ';does occur'; are two different things.

In 25 years in Florida, I have yet to read of a case of dengue fever or malaria -- and only isolated cases of West Nile or encephalitis. BUT -- the mosquitoes that carry tropical diseases are native to Florida, so yes, in theory, it could happen.

It%26#39;s never a bad idea to have a mosquito repellent on hand (preferably with DEET, although some of the plant-based formulae work fairly well) -- then you can apply it if you notice a problem.

Skin So Soft does NOT work on mosquitoes - it works great on noseeums, though -- which are tiny biting midges.

In Fort Lauderdale, you%26#39;ll likely not have any issues with either.