All year round I wait for summer, and there is only one reason that it never quite lives up to my expectations - bug bites! The itchy and irritating reactions your poor defenseless skin has to those pesky insects can really ruin your outdoor excitement, whether you are trying to enjoy a walk, a lovely picnic or a spectacular fireworks display. Yet, how are you supposed to know whether the insect bite you've suffered is benign (irritating) or the start of something to worry about?
Here at BabaMail, we have taken 5 common bug bites and laid out what possible repercussions they could have on your health:
Note: If you want to try some natural remedies for these 5 bug bites, click here.
1. Bedbug bites
Dangers: No one likes the idea of bugs in their beds. These pesky fiends will not directly harm your health, though their bites are particularly itchy. This itchiness could indirectly lead to a lack of good sleep, which as we know can itself cause many subsequent health problems. Most of the time bedbugs leave tiny red bites, but occasionally your skin may react with these itchy white blotches you see here.
Treatments: Treatments that are effective include cortisone cream, or other anti-itch remedies. However, the most important thing you can do is give your bed and bedding a thorough good cleaning.
2. Wasp and bee stings
Dangers: Bee and wasp stings can be very annoying. However, the real health problems are reserved for people who’ve been stung multiple times, and those who suffer allergic reactions to the stings. People who’ve been stung many times can feel symptoms like vertigo, fever, vomiting, and nausea due to an excess of venom in the body. In the case of an allergic reaction, the patient’s throat swells up and they can’t breathe properly.
Treatments: If you've been stung many times, you should see a doctor as quickly as you can. Allergic reactions require emergency medical attention. People in this situation are supposed to carry around an EpiPen with which they can inject themselves. This releases epinephrine to combat the effect of the venom. For the rest of us, if stung by a bee (not a wasp or hornet), try to remove the stinger from your skin with tweezers to limit the venom entering your body.
3. Scabies
Dangers: It’s not insects that cause scabies, but microscopic bugs, or mites, that act like parasites, laying eggs within your skin’s epidermis. Scabies is the itchiest thing you can imagine and look like a very bad case of acne. If the sores are not treated they can become infected.Treatments: Scabies spread very quickly, so your doctor will prescribe a treatment to kill all the eggs and mites at once. The only way you can contract scabies, like so much of the world’s worst afflictions, is through contact with other infected people. So, in much of the first world, scabies is thankfully a very rare problem.
4. Mosquito bites
Dangers: If you are lucky enough to live in a place with lovely warm summers, then you have to put up with constant mosquito bites. As you know, the bites themselves, though annoying, do not cause any problems. However, mosquitoes are also notorious for transmitting viruses, currently, the Zika virus is threatening unborn children in many parts of the world. The main symptom related to mosquito-carried viruses like Zika and Dengue is fever.Treatments: If you feel feverish and you have been bitten by a mosquito recently it would be a good idea to check with your doctor, just to be on the safe side. To get rid of mosquitoes have a look at this helpful video and this interesting article.
5. Tick bites
Dangers: Ticks can cause major medical problems if their bites are left unnoticed and untreated. Common diseases include Lyme, STARI, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Lyme usually (but not always) causes a bull’s eye rash, which looks similar to the lesion caused by STARI. Rocky Mountain spotted fever causes a rash usually on the ankles, arms, and wrists. If untreated Lyme disease may lead to muscle and joint pain.
Treatments: If you see or feel a tick on your body, you should remove it as quickly as you can with a pair of tweezers. Go as close to the skin as you can to remove the pest. If after having been bitten you subsequently fall ill (up to 4 weeks after) go and see your doctor, as it may be you have contracted one of the above diseases without exhibiting symptoms.
