The sale of insect repellents shot up 63% during the third week of March as a result of the high circulation of mosquitoes and the increase in cases of denguesomething that generated a substantial increase in product sales.
According to recent data provided by the technology company Scanntech, during the third week of this month sales of repellents rose 63% year-on-year when compared to the same period last year.
After the intense rains of recent days, Uruguayans turned massively to purchasing the product, whose sales grew by 702% last Sunday the 24th, while they had already been 273% on March 22 and of 250% on the 23rd of the same month.
At the geographical level, the CH Municipality of Montevideo had the highest sales growth during that period, after they climbed 150.2%.
On the other hand, in January and February sales of repellent had already climbed 31% and 51% respectively in the year-on-year comparison compared to the previous year’s data.
“Repellent does not prevent mosquitoes from biting us”
The doctor and pharmacology teacher Stefano Fabbianiexplained to Subrayado that “The repellent repels, but it does not prevent (the mosquitoes) bite us”, since its function is to alter the user’s smell, as well as alter the receptors of these insects.
“Depending on each person, we respond more or less to these repellents,” said Fabbiani, who added that human beings have “conditions or factors that predispose us to mosquitoes bite one person more and another less.”
Likewise, the specialist warned that the product should not be “applied in excess” despite the current “invasion of mosquitoes” and that “up to three times” is enough to give it effective use. “In the pediatric population, such high concentrations are not recommended, but around 10% are recommended, and from 12 years of age no more than one (application) or up to two times if necessary,” he pointed out.
Source: Ambito
