Health and safety forum

permethrin

momof4

backpacker
Posts: 12

How easy is it to pick up permethrin to soak or spray clothing against mozzies in SE Asia? I don't want to treat our clothes before we go since it apparently wears off after 6 weeks and that is well before we get to Cambodia or Laos and I don't want to be carrying bottles of the stuff around with us. So should I forget about it or will I be able to find some solution once we arrive?

#1 Posted: 9/12/2010 - 23:33
Tilapia

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Posts: 1204
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If you really want to treat your clothing with the stuff, best to bring your own. And it will probably wear off in 2 weeks, not 6.

#2 Posted: 13/12/2010 - 22:53
momof4

backpacker
Posts: 12

Well that's discouraging since I don't want to lug bottles of it around Russia and China before getting to Laos/Cambodia. I guess we'll just have to do without. Thanks for the answer.

#3 Posted: 13/12/2010 - 23:14
Tilapia

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You probably won't need it. Wherever mosquitoes are a problem you can be pretty sure that guest houses will have nets for the beds and/or screened windows. Take the usual precautions like keeping yourselves covered during the early hours of the morning and at sundown, wear a DEET repellent, burn a coil or two in your room before going to bed, etc.

I won't say that wearing pyrethroid-impregnated clothing is overkill, but unless you're going to be sleeping next to rice paddies or swamps or riverbanks, you'll probably find that lugging bottles of the stuff around wasn't really necessary. And if you're not comfortable with that, you can always mail your bottles of repellent to the Post Restante department of the General Post Office in the place where you're going to be first. Kind of old school, but it's a system that still works to the best of my knowledge.

#4 Posted: 15/12/2010 - 08:16
momof4

backpacker
Posts: 12

I won't be that stressed about it. I would have been happy to spray the clothes before hand because, hey, why not. But as you say, we can make do.

#5 Posted: 15/12/2010 - 08:42