Wheeling is itching to give away mosquito sting remedy

The village of Wheeling is offering to take the sting out of mosquito bites.

This weekend, the village is making available, free of charge, a new product, Mitigator Sting & Bite Treatment.

The product, which contains a granulated formula free from chemicals, is supposed to take out the sting and relieve the urge to itch, which can create harmful secondary effects.

In addition, according to www.mitigatorgov.com, the circulation created by scrubbing with the application forces toxins from below the skin back to its surface. Also, it says, in cases where the victim has already scratched, the treatment will help cleanse the area of already introduced bacteria.

Acting Village President Judy Abruscato said she heard about the product through Joe Pascucci, whose company, Don Bauer and Associates, 307 S. Milwaukee Ave., will be distributing the product.

The company represents manufacturers, getting their products into stores like Walgreens, Target and Meijer.

Pascucci said that shortly after a meeting with Walgreens, a company called and told him his firm was recommended by Walgreens. They said they had a product they were trying to get into Walgreens.

Abruscato said the park district, the police department, the fire department and the public works departments are all interested in the product.

"Sometimes people scratch when they do get bit, and they get infected. This way, this will protect them against it," Abruscato said.

She said that for anyone interested in sampling the product, the likeliest place to get it is the park district's Community Recreation Center at 333 W. Dundee Road.

"Say you get bit by a mosquito, a red ant, a bee, a jellyfish, jiggers, anything like that. You rub this ointment on there, and it exfoliates the skin, removes the toxins and gets rid of the redness, the swelling and the sting, all in about three minutes," Pascucci said.

He said the product was developed for the Army.

"It's in every soldier over in Iraq. It's in their backpack right now," he said.

Pascucci he has been representing the manufacturer for four months and has not called on a contact that didn't want the product.

However, since the product probably won't be in the stores until March or April, Pascucci decided to approach the village to get it to the public.

He said he has between 3,000 and 5,000 packets to give away to anyone who wants it.

The timing is important, he said, because of the anticipated mosquito infestation over the next two weeks.