Don’t Get Complacent If You Don’t Get Bitten By Mosquitoes

Ever wondered why you appear to get bitten by mosquitoes more than others? Maybe you are one of the lucky folk, that manage to get away with being bitten by these pesky critters? Here’s why some people may fall victim to these disease spreading pests more than others.

Mosquitoes and why they might be attracted to your blood more than the person’s next to you

We know some people should be more scared than others, but why are those blood suckers selective in who they bite? Well, with up to 400 chemical compounds on human skin that could play a role, there’s many different answers. To narrow it down, we’ve teamed up with mosquito expert, Dr Cameron Webb, a clinical lecturer at the University of Sydney and Principal Hospital Scientist with the Department of Medical Entomology at NSW Health Pathology.

So for those ‘lucky folk’ we mentioned above, they may actually be receiving bites from mosquitoes, but they just don’t react to the bite like others do. To not have the irritating itch is of course a blessing, however, the concern lies where those that think they aren’t at threat of a bite, may not be taking the necessary precautions to protect themselves.

The warning here is to those that may get complacent if they don’t get bitten by mosquitoes. You may still be very much a tasty treat for a female mosquito to feed from you, inject you with her saliva and with it the possibility of disease. These bloodsuckers are dangerous! They may be tiny, but they are the biggest killer in the world!

How a mosquito bite nearly killed me

As soon as I got to the country, all the advice I was given such as wearing mosquito repellent and avoiding going outside at dusk or dawn was quickly forgotten. I thought I was invincible and there was no way I would get anything. I was living among the locals in Bogor (Indonesia’s third largest city) and never saw them putting on repellent. My work colleagues never talked about mosquito protection.

Whether you are prone to mosquito bites or not (or so you think) ALWAYS take preventative measures to protect yourself. It really could be the difference between life and a life threatening illness.