Between January and July 2007 the confirmed cases of human infection with the West Nile Virus have only been confined to the province however the past 60 days have seen cases of the virus reaching most areas of Canada. However, confirmed cases of the virus have been documented across the many parts of the United States including North Dakota, Michigan, New York and Florida.

Symptoms are usually mild and include fever, headache, body aches, sometimes skin rash and swollen lymph glands. Severe infection is marked by headache, high fever, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, with coma, tremors, convulsions, paralysis and occasionally death. If illness occurs, it usually happens within five to 15 days of being bitten by an infected mosquito. What are we doing as a society to stop this? The answer to that question is complex, the Canadian and US governments are monitoring birds and mosquitoes to prevent a major outbreak of the virus. Many states and provinces have implemented a mass spraying program in summer 2002 to control populations of the type of adult mosquitoes that carry West Nile virus.

The real question we should all be asking ourselves is; how can I protect myself and my family? Simple measures like ensuring that things in and around the yard like pool covers, saucers under flower pots, children's toys, pet bowls and wading pools are regularly emptied of standing water. Most health agencies recommend some type of external skin protection; however many of today's insect repellent products contain DEET, a chemical shown to be linked to poor health and even cancer. If consumers would only take the time to look beyond the chemical repellents they will see some alternative products that based on natural ingredients. One of these alternative natural based insect repellent products is the Skin Armor Soap, made by the same company that brought the Facedoctor Skin Products to North America. Skin Amour Soap is marketed as being an all natural repellent that contains menthol, citronella oil, lavendula and Eucalyptus Oil to form an amazing combination to stop insects. The product website (www.skinarmour.ca) is full of great information on the product, mosquitoes and contains many great customer testimonials. Testing of the product has shown the Skin Armor Soap to be effective for up to 8 hours and is safe to use to by the whole family. Skin Amour Soap can be purchased at most fine retailers across the United States and Canada, including Wal-Mart Stores and Shopper's Drug Mart stores across Canada. Get your Skin Armor Soap today and protect yourself and family from mosquitoes and the diseases they carry.