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New Orleans-based Pang Wangle has partnered with Insect Shield© to reimagine travel wraps and leggings as wearable bug repellent. This is in response to the threat of dengue and other diseases spread by insects. CEO Jennifer John says that not many people are aware of the option and are happy to try it, once they realize that it’s safe.
First developed for the U.S. military, the Insect Shield® process binds a small amount of permethrin directly to the clothing fibers and it lasts for more than 70 washes. It’s odorless and recommended for anyone including children, and pregnant or nursing women.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued its third Travel Alert in less than a month, warning travelers to Latin America and the Caribbean to protect themselves. This follows dengue-related Travel Alerts in Asia and the Pacific Islands, and Africa and the Middle East. Dengue is now the fastest spreading mosquito-borne disease in the world, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to include dengue in its list of the top 10 public health threats.
Found in only 9 countries in the 1970s, dengue is now in 128 countries, including the U.S. Florida remains under a mosquito-borne illness alert after two new cases of dengue fever were transmitted locally in Miami. Both the CDC and WHO recommend people in affected areas use bug repellent and wear bug repellent clothing.
Sources: Behind the Seams, pangwangle.com, Textile World