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1. Why do insects bite us?
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Many species of insects need constituents of the blood for the development of their eggs. This is why only the female mosquitoes bite. The males are harmless vegetarians who live on the nectar of flowers.
The humidity, ambient temperature, light and surrounding colours probably also play an important role. |
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2. How can I protect myself against insect and tick bites?
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The most important precautions against insect bites are as follows:
• At dusk and at night avoid swampy areas, lakes and other stagnant water.
• Cover exposed skin as much as possible.
• If you wear very thin or loose clothing apply an effective insect repellent to the skin to protect you, as your clothes are not an effective barrier.
• Use insecticides and/or mosquito nets indoors.
• Remember that sweat can also attract insects so maintain hygiene by washing regularly.
• Before long trips obtain information well before leaving about the risks and possible preventive measures (vaccinations or tablets).
• Since insects' resistance to malaria vaccinations develops very quickly, use Autan insect repellent for additional protection.
The most important precautions against tick bites are as follows:
• Avoid high grass, bushes and undergrowth, use existing wood and field paths.
• Wear clothing that covers you well, e.g long sleeved shirts. Light colours are also preferable.
• Apply Autan Tropical or Autan Active to all the exposed areas of the skin and reapply as stated on the label.
• After you have been in the countryside, examine your skin carefully for ticks.
• Remove any attached ticks immediately. Do not use any oil or other agents to do this. The tick should also not be twisted out or squashed, since in all these cases they release extra saliva and extra pathogens. Simply pull the tick straight up out of the skin with tweezers. If any of the mouthparts are left attached to your body, consult a doctor. |
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3. Is Autan safe to use?
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| All Autan products have been developed in accordance with the highest scientific standards. To confirm the safety of these products for consumers, a comprehensive test programme was carried out in close cooperation with the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), the United States registration authorities. None of the studies revealed any negative effects. |
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4. Are Insect Repellents that contain DEET the most effective? How is it different to Icaridin?
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It is widely acknowledged that synthetic active ingredients such as DEET and Icaridin are more effective than natural ingredients such as Citronella. DEET has been available for over 40 years.
Icaridin is a relatively new synthetic active ingredient (also known as ‘KBR’) available under the Autan® brand and is considered to be equally effective as DEET at equivalent concentrations, as confirmed by the World Health Organisation (WHO)².
Both DEET and Icaridin can be considered the most effective Insect Repellents available.
² Report of the fourth WHOPES Working Group Meeting, Geneva, 4-5 December 2000. |
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5. Why is DEET recommended by GPs and Heathcare professionals for travelling abroad to Tropical areas at risk of Malaria?
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| DEET has been available worldwide for over 40 years and has high awareness amongst GPs and Healthcare professionals. There have been many studies on the efficacy of DEET-based products and it can be confidently recommended. In comparison, Icaridin has only been available since 1998 and awareness of this active ingredient is therefore much lower. |
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6. Can DEET be used by pregnant and nursing women?
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According to the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), both pregnant and breastfeeding women can and should use repellents to guard against the chances of being bitten by an infected mosquito. The recommendation is to use a repellent containing DEET and to apply it sparingly to exposed body parts³.
³ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases, "Questions and Answers: West Nile Virus, Pregnancy and Breast-Feeding,"
www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/qa/breastfeeding/htm |
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7. What is Icaridin?
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Autan has provided reliable protection against mosquito and tick bites for nearly fifty years. After more than ten years of research into a new generation of repellents, the first Autan products with the innovative Active ingredient Icaridin were launched world-wide in 1998.
Icaridin, new ingredient of Autan Active, is a compound with excellent repellent characteristics and provides highly effective protection against a broad spectrum of insects:
• All formulations with 20 percent Icaridin (Autan Active) provide up to 8 hours protection against mosquitoes, horse flies, other biting flies and up to 4 hours protection against ticks.
• All formulations with 10 percent Icaridin (Autan Family Insect Repellent) provide up to 4 hours protection against mosquitoes, horse flies and other biting flies. |
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8. Is Autan also effective against other insects?
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Autan is an effective repellent providing protection against a broad range of insects. Remember there are 930,000 species of insects in the world and no repellent works against everything! However, Autan with the new active ingredient Icaridin is an excellent all round repellent.
Icaridin & DEET provide excellent protection against biting mosquitoes, biting flies and ticks, particularly the species that carry diseases, such as the malaria mosquito and yellow fever mosquito. |
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9. Can Autan also be used for children and infants?
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Autan Tropical is suitable for children over the age of 3 years and Autan Active & Family is suitable for children over the age of 2 years. Autan should not be used on babies in case the ingredients come in contact with their mucous membranes (eyes, lips etc). Even when applied correctly, it is impossible to rule out the risk that the baby will then rub its eyes or suck its fingers, etc.
The best way to protect babies against mosquitoes is to use mosquito nets, which are available for prams and windows and limit exposure to insects. |
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10. I have tried insect repellents in the past and they have not worked. Why?
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Insect repellents generally work if you follow the instructions.
Autan is a highly effective insect repellent, and like all repellents must be used as recommended:
• You must apply Autan completely to all the exposed areas of the skin. This is very important because insect repellents work as a chemical barrier to mosquitoes and are effective only on skin which has been protected. Incidentally mosquitoes can bite through very thin clothing, so it may be necessary to apply Autan under your clothes.
• Apply Autan to the skin after you have applied sun tan lotions or other cosmetics. This gives you the most protection from insects. Autan will not affect the efficacy of your sun tan lotions.
• Re-apply Autan if you are out longer than the recommended 8 hours of protection provided by Autan Active.
• Since Autan is not waterproof it has to be reapplied after you have been swimming or bathing or if you are in very humid conditions. |
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11. How long does Autan keep?
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| The shelf life of Autan in all climates is approximately three years. |
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12. Are Autan packs environment-friendly?
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The packs of all Autan products are made of modern plastics (except for the aerosol spray), which can be recycled. Please discard empty packs in accordance with your local council guidelines.
Autan Active Body Spray and Autan Active Tropical Body Spray aerosol cans are made of recycled aluminium. You can recycle the can at appropriate recycle centres. It does not contain CFC's. |
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13. How does Soothing Insect Spray work?
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Autan Soothing Insect Spray contains a unique patented combination of ingredients, which soothes and cools the inflamed area.
Autan Soothing Insect Spray is therefore an excellent product to have available when you forget to apply your Autan Insect repellent. |
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14. Does Autan Icaridin and Autan DEET products provide 100 percent protection?
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| If Autan insect repellent is used following the instructions you will have effective protection from most insect bites. However no insect repellent can be effective against all of the 930,000 species of insect in the world today. |
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15. Do DEET and Icaridin based products provide total efficacy?
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| In most tests, repellents based on DEET and Icaridin show total efficacy over the claimed period of protection. However, no repellent can provide complete protection under all circumstances and the level of protection can be affected by factors such as humidity, temperature, lack of coverage and overwhelming insect populations. The WHO report found that repellents that contain the actives DEET and Icaridin repel more then 95% of all mosquitoes over many hours even under severe tropical conditions and can be considered as the most effective insect repellents available. |
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