Citronella versus dengue

(Yesterday’s column)

When I read a couple of weeks ago that the incidence of dengue in Caloocan City had risen by 500 percent, I was shocked. That was were I grew up and, even back then, the mosquito situation was already bad. The story goes that when I was a toddler, my father required the nanny to follow me everywhere I went around the house, in my grandparents’ house next door and the gardens in between and beyond–with a lighted mosquito coil. My father had a huge scar on his leg, the result of scratching an itchy mosquito bite that got infected, and he wasn’t going to allow his only daughter to get ugly scars. Dengue was an unknown term then although there was a constant though low-level scare about H-fever.

When I became a mother, my abhorrence toward mosquitoes had less to do with the fear of scars on my daughters’ legs than the threat of dengue which, by then, had become a household word that scared the bejesus out of every parent, rich and poor alike. But I preferred a different solution–Nenuco mosquito repellent lotion instead of the smelly, nose-clogging and probably lung cancer causing mosquito coils.

When the girls were a little older, there came the inevitable avalanche of information about the evils of mosquito repellent lotions. It seemed that, just like mosquito coils, they were a double-edged sword. Sure, they kept mosquitos off but they also introduced chemicals to our bodies through the skin that, in cumulative amounts, may actually cause cancer or some other life-threatening ailment.

The thing is, whichever solution materializes becomes something bad after a new solution is introduced. Of course, it has a lot to do with capitalism. When the makers of mosquito repellent lotions wanted their new products to take off, they had to kill the competition–the mosquito coils which, for decades and decades, had monopolized the anti-mosquito market. The lotion makers simply glossed over the obvious fact that in well-ventilated rooms, mosquito coils are quite safe to use.

Scare tactics usually work. Not surprisingly, the same mosquito coil makers developed a new product–mats inserted in electric-operated dispensers. Unlike mosquito coils, they are smoke-free and pleasant-smelling. They need not touch the skin and do not, therefore, serve as agents that introduce toxic chemicals into the body. Good for those who can afford the rather pricey electric dispensers and mats, right? But what they don’t bother telling the public is that the nice-smelling mats hid what they still basically are–insecticides. And notwithstanding the nice smell, the toxins are released in the fumes which, while killing mosquitos, are also there for us to inhale freely.

My husband felt so upset and helpless that he started talking about installing screens in the entire house and putting up mosquito nets on every bed. But this is the Philippines with its never-ending ironies. The tropical climate brings on the mosquitos but the same tropical climate means that screens and mosquito nets will ruin the natural ventilation in any room. Besides, screens are only good so long as doors are rarely opened. And mosquito nets only provide safety while one is inside it.

So, were we going to be prisoners of our own house and beds? An aunt living in Canada but who grew up in the same mosquito-infested neighborhood in Caloocan City and, therefore, fully aware of the problem, advised us to use citronella. Where we could find it was a mystery.

It wasn’t until we came upon Ilog Maria (www.ilogmaria.com) in Silang, Cavite that I finally discovered the wonders of citronella. I bought a few bottles on trial, found the product effective and, thereafter, ordered online. But Ilog Maria’s products are not cheap so I decided to look around for less expensive and more accessible sources of citronella. A few mouseclicks and the result was amazing.

According to Wikipedia, “Citronella oil is one of the essential oils obtained from the leaves and stems of different species of Cymbopogon.” Cymbopogon is none other than lemongrass. The lowly tanglad that I planted in the garden of our old house because I loved using it for cooking. The herb that was the subject of forwarded e-mails last year claiming that lemongrass was a natural antidote for high blood pressure.

An article in Seatle Post-Intelligencer (www.seattlepi.com) describes a process for making mosquito repellent at home and I am going to try it soon. It’s just a matter of pressing the plant, mixing it with body oil and allowing the mixture to infuse for two weeks. What can be simpler? What can be more natural? What can be less expensive?

In the archive

• Is fresh food safe?
• If you’re very hungry
• Unlabeled and unbranded food: how safe are they?
• Fixation with milk
• The first day of the first ‘ber’ month
• Herb and cheese muffins
• Choices mothers make
• Hard to resist Ghirardelli baking chocolates at 70% off
• End of love affair with Splenda
• Plus one point for living in the suburb