A product widely used at this time of year, insect repellent can have a price variation in pharmacies of up to 110%, pointed out one lifting carried out by Procon-SP. The research took into account the prices charged by drugstores and pharmacies on their websites calculated on January 15th.
One of the items that presented the biggest price difference was a repellent spray aimed at children. It was found for R$39.90, but it could cost more than double in another pharmacy, which charged R$83.95 for the same product. In other words, by purchasing the cheapest product, the savings would be R$44.05 per unit. The survey also found a 100ml repellent spray from a certain brand ranging between R$39.90 and R$81.90.
Protection
The use of repellent is an important measure to protect public health, especially in the summer, when the heat and rain typical of the season favor the proliferation of the mosquito that transmits dengue, zika and chikungunya. Although there is already a vaccine against denguethe use of repellent is still important because the vaccine is not yet available to the entire population.
Furthermore, repellents – especially those containing DEET, icaridin and IR 3535 in their formula – help prevent bites from the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which causes other diseases such as Zika, for which there is still no vaccine.
Procon recommends that, before purchasing a repellent, the consumer should check whether the product is registered with the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) and observe whether its formula contains any ingredients that could cause allergies. The agency also warns that it is necessary to research prices and consider the shipping cost of the product when making a purchase online. It is also important to check that the website is genuine and that it is not listed in the list of untrustworthy sites from Procon.
