Preventative medicine is arguably the BEST medicine and never has that been more important than for mosquito-borne disease. Why?
Image of Aedes albbopictus mosquito
Vector-borne diseases account for more than 17% of all infectious diseases, causing more than 700 000 deaths annually. They can be caused by either parasites, bacteria or viruses.
Malaria is a parasitic infection transmitted by Anopheline mosquitoes. It causes an estimated 219 million cases globally, and results in more than 400,000 deaths every year. Most of the deaths occur in children under the age of 5 years.
Dengue is the most prevalent viral infection transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes. More than 3.9 billion people in over 129 countries are at risk of contracting dengue, with an estimated 96 million symptomatic cases and an estimated 40,000 deaths every year.
Other viral diseases transmitted by vectors include chikungunya fever, Zika virus fever, yellow fever, West Nile fever, Japanese encephalitis (all transmitted by mosquitoes), tick-borne encephalitis (transmitted by ticks).
Many of vector-borne diseases are preventable, through protective measures, and community mobilization. Source
That's HUGE but what about so-called developed countries. Surely they're so much safer and have things under control? Errr, no. In the 12 years from 2004 to 2016, vector borne disease more than tripled in the United States alone.
Between 2004 and 2016, more than 640,000 cases of these diseases were reported, and 9 new germs spread by bites from infected mosquitoes and ticks were discovered or introduced in the US. State and local health departments and vector control organizations are the nation’s main defense against this increasing threat. Yet, 84% of local vector control organizations lack at least 1 of 5 core vector control competencies. Better control of mosquitoes and ticks is needed to protect people from these costly and deadly diseases. Source
Ironically it was another global disease (presuming you buy into the narrative) that forced us to produce this NEW product which is arguably better than our already-popular-15 years-on-the-market spray product.
Covid has changed the face of global product distribution and supply chain - and suddenly the shipping of liquids by air freight has become well-nigh impossible, due to changed regulations and prohibitive costs.
For 15 years, we've sold our liquid spray product around the world.
Covid comes along and suddenly air-freighting liquids is nixxed globally. I CAN still send it with ONLY ONE SERVICE. Thailand Post's new Courier post WILL ship your x1 100ml bottle safety-sealed non-glass bottle of organic product (retails 195 baht = USD $5.98) for a modest 🤣 1,600 THB (= $49.11). 🤣 Right. Because everyone we know will pay $49 to ship a $6 product. Such a great value proposition, not. 😞
So, we had to get creative. And we did. And we've succeeded.
We're using ORGANIC BEESWAX collected for us by indigenous Karen people in the pristine mountains of Northern Thailand. Which means it doesn't contain agro-toxins that you will find in beeswax harvested in mono-cropped Big Ag fruit orchards. It's either collected from wild hives abandoned during the dry season by Karen midwives and local familiess (and cleaned and clarified by us)....
or sometimes they do a basic clean-clarify first (to reduce weight and mess, since they have to WALK it out of the forest areas) and pour it into hollow bamboo poles and we buy it like that.
We have several remote villages who have tiny eco-bee farms on the edges of national forest, which they maintain with love and the highest of ethics. The fact that these bees forage in the forests naturally enhances and vastly changes-improves the levels of healing enzymes it contains.
Beeswax, of course, has a whole healing profile of its own: another post for another day. 😆
Apart from being now easily able to SHIP this new product internationally at a more-than reasonable price, it comes with a few extra surprise benefits:
- suitable for water-sports & things like fishing in hot, humid conditions;
- lasts on the skin MUCH longer, so you use it less often, which is better value;
- alcohol-free makes it suitable for detox and alcohol-rehab resorts around the world.
Mostly I'm excited that more people around the world can protect themselves against mosquito borne disease, and against other harmful vector like Ticks. Yes, one of THE most effective natural repellents for ticks is organic neem extract, which forms the basis of our product.
The question we are asked MOST often is this:
"We KNOW it works. But does it smell ok?"
We laughingly have to confirm that YES, it smells pleasantly herbal. WE offset the pungent neem extract with some other really fragrant natural essential oils to balance: lemongrass, citronella, phlai, basil and clove.
The best natural medicine is prevention.
And we're so happy that we have stepped up in the face of some pretty tough global challenges to create a new product that works. Some casual feedback received just yesterday from a customer?
Looking forward to answering questions in the comments below - and to posting more about the individual ingredients we choose, where they come from and why #naturalmedicine is often a MUCH better choice than dangerous DEET.
Happy & Healthy & Bug Bite Free!
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