Apply Coconut Oil to Prevent Dengue: Fact Check

Story:

This message is to inform you all that dengue viral is going on. So please Apply Coconut Oil to Prevent Dengue. It is to be applied below your knees till your feet. It is an antibiotic. Since a dengue mosquito cannot fly higher than knees, the above mentioned technique is useful.

So, please keep this in mind & start using it. Spread this message as much as you can. Your one message can save many lives.

– Prof. Dr. N. Satya Prasad.

Other Versions

Coconut oil can protect you from dengue mosquitoes.

Facts Analysis:

An ‘informative’ message circulating widely on social media sites, especially on WhatsApp, suggests application of Coconut Oil below knees till feet prevents Dengue. Since, coconut oil is an antibiotic, it protects us against Dengue mosquito bite. This method works because the Dengue mosquito cannot fly higher than our knees. Please don’t share and spread the above message, simply because it’s NOT a fact.

Dengue Mosquito Bites

The story was widely shared online due to increasing number of Dengue cases in India in late 2016. The Aedes aegypti mosquito species, the main vector that transmits the Dengue virus, is most active for approximately two hours after sunrise and several hours before sunset, and it can also bite at night in well-lit areas. Dengue infection rates are higher outdoors and during daytime, and in fact the mosquito’s favorite spots are on the ankles and elbows. But this does not mean they cannot bite on other places of human body.

Coconut Oil to Prevent Dengue

According to Dr. Niku Srinivasan from Institute of Child Health Hospital in Indian State of Chennai, the dengue mosquitoes are dangerous for their ability to breed even in clean water, and they can fly anywhere and everywhere, and can bite any part of the body. While it is a fact that some studies have shown some mosquito-repellent efficacy of Coconut oil, there’s no scientific evidence that applying the oil below your knees till feet can prevent mosquitoes from biting and protect from causing Dengue.

Neem Oil to Prevent Dengue

Another very similar story mentioned Neem oil application for preventing mosquito bites causing Dengue. Neem-based preparations are in fact efficient mosquito repellents, and sometimes it is also mixed with coconut oil for that purpose. The efficacy of it to prevent dengue is however not studied well.

So the claim that application of coconut oil below your knees till feet will prevent Dengue-causing mosquito bites is certainly a hoax.

Preventive Measures to Protect You from Dengue:

Dress well to cover yourself fully from head to toe.
Keep your surroundings clean, and avoid leaving any containers of stagnant water outside where mosquitoes can breed.
Use a mosquito repellent spray/lotion and stay in well-screened areas.
It’s also a good idea to use mosquito nets while sleeping. Like in olden days, especially for children.

In case you have contracted the disease, one natural cure for Dengue fever usually suggested is taking Papaya leaf juice.