Sprays, patches, candles, Delhi declares war on mosquitoes

In the dengue season, all-out efforts are on to keep mosquitoes away.

In the dengue season, all-out efforts are on to keep mosquitoes away.

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Made-in-China mosquito-repellent patches and wristbands are competing with herbal sprays, creams, vapourisers, incense sticks and oils in markets.

In all the leading stores in the city, herbal body sprays are selling the most, followed by patches and wristbands.

"The ingredients (of herbal sprays) are absolutely safe for the skin. The one we sell also has anti-septic properties," said a store manager of a leading skin-hair-body care brand.

“We also get lots of foreigners who buy the spray in bulk, like 15-20 pieces,” the store manager added.

The spray works for six to eight hours and can easily be kept in a purse or a pocket.

“Citronella (an ingredient) is known to be safe … but its efficacy is limited,” said Dr YK Gupta, head of the pharmacology department at AIIMS.

Children are spotted wearing mosquito-repellent patches on their clothes.

“You just have to stick them on the clothes like a band-aid,” said Neharika Pawar, 29, sales manager with a private firm.

Anti-mosquito candles are a new rage. “We sell about 5-10 candles a day and the numbers are increasing,” said the store manager at Fragrance in Khan Market.