Travel Health Advice

Going on holiday and not sure how to avoid those nasty biting insects that can ruin your holiday. Check out our travel advice section compiled by the experts at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine - don't leave home before you've read it.

> Why do I get bitten? How do mosquitoes find me?
> Why does my partner not get bitten but I do?
> Why do I react so badly to getting bitten - I never used to?
> So what can I do to stop myself getting bitten?

Why do I get bitten? How do mosquitoes find me?

Mosquitoes are very advanced little insects, with the ability to detect their prey using a variety of methods. It's only the females that bite, but both sexes can detect you using any of the following means.

• Chemical sensors - Biting insects can sense the carbon dioxide and Lactic acid vapour trails given off by our skin using their antennas. They use these vapour trails like road maps to guide them to their target, where they know dinner is waiting! Certain chemicals and scents also seem to attract biting insects - if you sweat heavily or wear floral scents you are more likely to get bitten.
• Visual sensors - As the biting insect is guided by the carbon dioxide and lactic acid trails, their sight allows them to home in on us - the more you contrast with the background and the more we move around, the easier it is for teh biting insect to single you out.
• Heat sensors - Once the biting insect lands on its target, the fine tuning to find the best feeding spot is done with heat sensors. The biting insect will use these sensors to locate the blood supply (veins) that are closest to our skin surface. That is why we are bitten more on our wrists and ankles where the skin is thinner. In case you were wondering, ladies are more likey to get bitten because their skin is often slightly thinner and therefore provide a more accessible blood supply than men.

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