I am a mosquito Magnet. No denying it, mosquitoes love me. We could all be sitting quietly in a room and as long as mosquitoes are around I’m most likely the only one beating them off.
It’s a painful sort of attraction. And one that can be fatal too, especially for me a Dengue virus carrier and for anyone who gets bitten after an Aedes Aegypti mosquito bites me.
Good Friday morning when I woke up, I discovered that a whole swarm of mosquitoes had feasted on one of my most succulent regions in the night. They left a huge swollen patch – leftovers from multiple stings in the same spot. I have not seen this particular feeding and swelling in about 2 years.
I found it very disturbing for two reasons.
It meant that my body might be producing too much of a certain chemical that is known to attract mosquitoes and turn one into a "mosquito magnet" according to WebMD. The second reason is that I have no idea what kind of mosquitoes attacked me. The latter is the biggest concern since I had a nasty bout of Dengue and cannot afford to get a second strain of the virus. That is potentially fatal.
Well after the swelling went down, you know it went right out of my mind. Today I got the shock of my life. No I do not think I have Dengue again. But I killed a mosquito I saw flying toward me while I sitting at my computer in my office at home. I was about to get some tissue when something prompted me to really look at the mosquito.
An Aedes Aegypti!! What??
So Sherlock Marvia hunted down her microscope (yes I really do have one). Dropped the insect on paper and sure enough. The unmistakable white spots on her legs and body just couldn’t be missed.
Of course I called the authorities right away and got a promise that they would come back to fumigate my house again. I am now certain that the fumigation is designed to kill humans not mosquitoes. I also learnt that today a woman was confirmed positive with the Dengue virus at the hospital in Colon where a member of mine works.
Dengue in Panama is definitely alive and another outbreak is about to take place. My neighbourhood tends to be overlooked because it is not the kind of area one expects to find the virus. My premises has already been declared clear. However, even if there are no larvae (eggs) present, there is nothing to stop the adult mosquitoes from flying where they will. And me being a magnet, oh they will find me.
Being mosquito magnet is not flattering. Mosquito love from certain women of the species is deadly for me. Like any unwanted attention, it is more than a little disturbing.
Will keep you posted,
Marvia
My mom had this problem too but my dad was the exact opposite. He was a kind of mosquito repeller. I was just ordinary.
So as a kid, anytime there were mosquitoes, my mom would be going crazy and want to leave, my dad would look all surprised – he wouldn’t know there was a problem until she started complaining – and I’d be like, well, I know there’s a problem, but it’s not so bad that I want to stop fishing…
Paul,
Your mom and I are among the many who suffer this agonizing love affair with mosquitoes. It does seem like we are creating a fuss when we are the only ones doing all the flapping and scratching!
Anyway, I’m all dressed up and suffering from the Panama heat.