DEET Education Program Responds to
New Repellent Guidelines from CDC
Thursday April 28, 4:13 pm ET
 WASHINGTON, April 28 /PRNewswire/ -- "The CDC's decision to recommend two additional types of repellent products does not change the fact that the agency has long recommended DEET and experts have agreed for years that DEET is the gold standard for insect repellents," said Susan Little, executive director of the DEET Education Program, following today's announcement by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"DEET has been shown to be an extremely safe and effective repellent and remains a very important option for consumers," said Dr. Lyle Petersen, director, CDC Division of Vector-borne Infectious Diseases, during a teleconference with reporters.
The CDC, the American Academy of Pediatrics and others have long recommended DEET as a means for preventing mosquito and tick bites. DEET- based products are recommended for adults and for children over the age of two months.
"We hope the CDC announcement will encourage more people to use effective repellents such as those with DEET in them to help prevent the diseases caused by biting insects and ticks," Little said. "The more awareness about repellents, the better for everyone. And the more people know about repellents, the more they will understand which ones are effective, and which ones are not. There are many misconceptions about repellents that need to be dispelled."
Every year millions of American consumers use DEET-based repellents, which have been on the market for more than 50 years. No repellent in the world has been used more extensively or tested as thoroughly as DEET.
Little says the most frequent complaint associated with DEET results from users accidentally getting it in the eyes, which can cause irritation. This typically is resolved by flushing with water or saline solution. On very rare occasions, users may develop a skin rash caused by sensitivity to the repellent's ingredients, not to DEET itself. This too resolves usually when the product is washed from the skin.
Current products containing DEET are aesthetically pleasing, with a nice feel and fragrance, so the old notion of DEET's characteristics are no longer accurate, Little says.
The DEET Education Program (http://www.deetonline.org) is sponsored by leading companies that manufacture and market DEET-based repellent products and operates under the auspices of the Consumer Specialty Products Association of Washington, D.C.
Source:
Consumer Specialty Products Association
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