If bug-spray makers and U.S. health officials get their way, Off and other insect repellents will take up permanent space alongside toothpaste in America’s medicine cabinets.
Drugstores and local agencies are doing their part in the marketing push by issuing warnings about Zika, a virus that causes devastating birth defects in babies infected in the womb. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the species of mosquito that carries Zika has been found across most of the nation, sparing only some parts of the West and the northernmost states.
“If you are going outside, wear mosquito repellent,” said Michael Beach, deputy incident manager for the CDC’s Zika response team. “It needs to be the same as putting on sunscreen or brushing your teeth.”
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