The disease can spread from wild rodents to pets and people. Over the past 10 years, as few as 1 and as many as 17 cases of plague were reported in the United States, according to the CDC , most in the rural West. Symptoms of plague include swollen lymph nodes, headache, fever, and chills that appear from one to six days after the bite.
Beestings cause a sharp pain that may continue for a few minutes, then fade to a dull, aching feeling. The area may still feel sore to the touch a few days later. A red skin bump with white around it may appear around the site of the sting, and the area may itch and feel hot to the touch.
If you've been stung by a bee before, your body may also have an immune response to the venom in the sting, resulting in swelling where the sting occurred or in an entire area of your body, including your throat and lungs.
If you have this type of allergic response, called anaphylaxis , it is a medical emergency that needs treatment immediately. Symptoms of a severe allergy to a beesting include hives, swelling, trouble breathing, dizziness, cramps, nausea, diarrhea, and even cardiac arrest.
Lice bites are tiny red spots on the shoulders, neck, and scalp from small parasitic insects that can live on your clothes or in your bedding. Some people may develop a larger, uncomfortable skin rash from lice bites. Continual scratching of the itchy spots could lead to an infection, marked by symptoms including swollen lymph nodes and tender, red skin. An infected lice bite may also ooze and crust over; it will need to be treated by a doctor, but lice are not known to carry other diseases.
Ant bites and stings are typically painful and cause red skin bumps. Some types of ants, like fire ants, are venomous, and their bites can cause a severe allergic reaction. Fire ants bite first to hold on and then sting, giving a sharp pain and a burning sensation. If you're bitten by fire ants , you may see white, fluid-filled pustules or blisters pictured a day or two after the sting.
These last three to eight days and may cause scars. The bumps may also be itchy and red, and you may have swelling around the site. It's important not to scratch or break open the blisters because they can become infected, notes the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. Carpenter ant bites are also painful because they spray formic acid into the bite, which causes a burning feeling.
Mites do not usually spread disease, but their bites can irritate the skin and cause intense itching. Itch mites usually feed on insects but will bite other animals, including people. The bites usually go unnoticed until itchy, red marks develop that may look like a skin rash. Chiggers are a form of mite that inject their saliva so that they can liquefy and eat skin. In response to a chigger bite , the skin around the bite hardens.
The surrounding skin becomes irritated and inflamed pictured , and an itchy red welt develops. Mites also cause the condition called scabies , which is contagious from person to person, notes the CDC. Female scabies mites burrow into the skin to lay eggs. When the eggs hatch, the larvae come to the skin's surface. They begin to molt and then burrow back into the skin to feed. This results in a skin rash that may look like acne pimples and create intense itching that gets worse at night.
You may also notice light, thin lines on the skin where the mites have burrowed, including between the fingers, in the bends at the wrists and knees, and under jewelry on the wrists and fingers. Kissing bugs, also known as assassin bugs, can pass on the parasites that cause Chagas disease. According to research from the University of Texas at El Paso published in October in the journal Acta Tropica , more than half of these insects carry the parasite. Kissing bugs hide in the daytime but emerge at night, often leaving bites on the face and causing a swollen eyelid.
In the first few weeks after infection, symptoms of Chagas disease can include fever, fatigue, body aches, headache, rash, a loss of appetite, diarrhea, and vomiting. But, the CDC notes , in the long term, and even decades later, about 30 percent of people infected by kissing bugs will develop serious complications of Chagas disease: an enlarged heart, heart failure , abnormal heart rhythm, cardiac arrest, or an enlarged colon, also known as megacolon.
Hornet stings like bee and wasp stings are usually painful, itchy, red, and swollen immediately after they happen, without causing long-term effects. Many people can simply ice the area to soothe pain and pop an over-the-counter antihistamine like Benadryl to help with itching. Symptoms typically disappear after a day or two, says the Mayo Clinic. Call and seek emergency medical treatment if you experience any of these symptoms.
Hornets typically build their large paper nests in tree hollows, as well as undisturbed spots in barns, attics, and even walls, according to information from the University of Kentucky. Hornets will defend their nests and may attack you if you get too close, so leave the area if you do come across one.
If you come across a solitary hornet, leave it alone; hornets typically only sting when threatened, the University of Kentucky notes. And if you do get stung, leave the area right away to avoid another attack, Russell says. According to the University of Kentucky , these flies can both target humans who are outside, and the intensity of their attack varies from year to year. Bites can be painful and cause bleeding, swelling, irritation, or an allergic reaction.
Immunotherapy desensitisation or hyposensitisation is a possible treatment option if you're allergic to wasp or bee stings. It involves being injected with small doses of venom every week to alter your body's immune response to venom.
You need to be observed after each injection to make sure you don't have an allergic reaction to the treatment. Over time, your body becomes used to the venom desensitised and you're no longer at risk of anaphylaxis. When a high enough dose has been reached, the injections are given at four to six-week intervals for a further two to three years.
Your allergist allergy specialist will decide how much venom is injected and how long the injections need to continue for. This will depend on your initial allergic reaction and your response to the treatment. For more information about immunotherapy, see treating allergies. If you've been bitten by a tick, remove it as soon as possible to reduce the risk of getting a tick-borne infection, such as Lyme disease a bacterial infection that causes a pink or red circular rash to develop around the area of the bite.
If you suspect that you have a tick bite, complete our self-help guide to assess your symptoms and find out what to do next. Return to Symptoms. Next Review Date:.
Avoid scratching the bite because it will cause further swelling and increase the risk of infection. Most tick bites will heal within three weeks.
Read more about how Lyme disease is treated. Secondary bacterial infections are a common complication of insect bites and stings. They include:. An infection can occur if you scratch an insect bite or sting, or it may be introduced at the time you're bitten.
Infections are usually treated with antibiotics. Lyme disease is an infection caused by a species of tick known as Ixodes ricinus. Ticks aren't insects — they're small arachnids. Your risk of developing Lyme disease is increased if you spend a lot of time in woodland or heath areas as these areas are where tick-carrying animals, such as deer and mice, live. The initial infection is characterised by a red rash that gradually expands outwards from the site of the bite.
Antibiotics are usually used to treat the infection. If untreated, the long-term effects of Lyme disease include problems with the nervous system, such as:. The condition can also damage the joints, which can lead to arthritis and, occasionally, heart problems, such as inflammation of the heart muscle myocarditis and inflammation of the fluid-filled sac that surrounds the heart pericarditis.
West Nile virus is an infection with flu-like symptoms that is spread by mosquitoes. There have been no reported cases of West Nile virus in the UK, but there have been cases elsewhere in the world. Malaria is a tropical disease caused by an infection of the red blood cells. It can be transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected mosquito. Each year, there are around 1, cases of malaria in travellers returning to the UK.
A certain type of malaria caused by the parasite Plasmodium falciparum is potentially fatal. It accounts for more than half of all cases of malaria in the UK each year. It's particularly important to follow this advice if you've had a bad reaction to an insect bite or sting in the past. Ticks are small arachnids that are mainly found in woodland areas. They attach to your skin, suck your blood and can cause Lyme disease.
If you're bitten by fleas, mites or bedbugs, you may have an infestation in your home. Try to find the source of the infestation before taking steps to eliminate it. For flea infestations, treat the animal, its bedding, household carpets and soft furnishings with an insecticide.
Thoroughly vacuum your carpets and soft furnishings. For bedbug infestations, your home will need to be thoroughly treated with an insecticide by a reputable pest control company.
See the GOV. UK website for details of pest control services and more information about how your local council can help with an infestation. Seek medical advice before travelling to a tropical area where there's a risk of catching malaria. You may need to take antimalarial tablets to avoid becoming infected. When you reach your destination, make sure your accommodation has insect-proof screen doors and windows that close properly.
Sleeping under a mosquito net and spraying rooms with insecticide will also help prevent you being bitten. Home Illnesses and conditions Injuries Skin injuries Insect bites and stings. Insect bites and stings See all parts of this guide Hide guide parts 1. About insect bites and stings 2. Symptoms of insect bites and stings 3. Treating insect bites and stings 4. Complications of insect bites and stings 5. Preventing insect bites and stings. About insect bites and stings Insect bites and stings are common and usually only cause minor irritation.
Symptoms of an insect bite or sting When an insect bites, it releases saliva that can cause the skin around the bite to become red, swollen and itchy.
Non-urgent advice: Speak to a pharmacist if:. Adults and children over 2 years with insect bites or stings can get advice and treatment directly from a pharmacy Find your local pharmacy on Scotland's Service directory.
Immediate action required: Phone if you have been bitten or stung and you have:. Treating insect bites and stings Most bites and stings are treated by: washing the affected area with soap and water placing a cold compress a flannel or cloth soaked in cold water over the area to reduce swelling Try not to scratch the affected area to avoid infection. Preventing insect bites and stings You're more likely to be bitten or stung if you work outdoors or regularly take part in outdoor activities, such as camping or hiking.
Travelling abroad There's a risk of catching diseases such as malaria from insect bites in certain parts of the world, such as: Africa Asia South America It's therefore important to be aware of any risks before travelling to these areas, and to get any necessary medication or vaccinations.
Symptoms of insect bites and stings An insect bite or sting often causes a small lump to develop, which is usually very itchy. Insect bites and stings usually clear up within several hours and can be safely treated at home. Insect bites Different insect bites can cause different symptoms. Midges, mosquitoes and gnats Bites from midges, mosquitoes and gnats often cause small papules lumps to form on your skin that are usually very itchy. If you're particularly sensitive to insect bites, you may develop: bullae — fluid-filled blisters weals — circular, fluid-filled areas surrounding the bite Mosquito bites in certain areas of tropical countries can cause malaria.
Fleas Flea bites can be grouped in lines or clusters. Horseflies A bite from a horsefly can be very painful. As well as the formation of a weal around the bite, you may also experience: urticaria — a rash of weals also called hives, welts or nettle rash dizziness weakness wheezing angio-oedema — itchy, pale pink or red swellings that often occur around the eyes and lips for short periods of time Horseflies cut the skin when they bite, rather than piercing it, so horsefly bites can take a long time to heal and can cause an infection.
Bedbugs Bites from bedbugs aren't usually painful, and if you've not been bitten by bedbugs before, you may not have any symptoms. If you have been bitten before, you may develop intensely irritating weals or lumps. Bedbug bites often occur on your: face neck hands arms The Blandford fly The Blandford fly sometimes called blackfly is usually found near rivers. It's common in: Dorset East Anglia Oxfordshire Herefordshire However, there have also been reports of Blandford fly bites occurring in other areas of England.
They can produce a severe localised reaction a reaction confined to the area of the bite with symptoms such as: swelling blistering a high temperature of 38C However, in some cases they may cause: swelling itchiness blistering bruising Ticks can carry a bacterial infection called Borrelia burgdorferi, which causes Lyme disease.
Mites Mites cause very itchy lumps to develop on the skin and can also cause blisters. Spiders Spider bites from spiders native to the UK are rare.
Larger insects such as bees, wasps and yellow jackets are another story. They have a stinger in their backend that's connected to an abdomen pocket full of venom. When you get stung, they inject the venom under your skin.
When you have an allergy to the insect venom, the part of your body that got stung, will swell up. So, if you get stung on your leg, your whole limb might swell. You might also get hives all over your body, not just in the area of the sting, along with shortness of breath, trouble breathing, a swollen tongue and agitation.
That's more serious and deserves a call to A normal reaction to a sting includes pain in the area and a slightly swollen bump. For those cases, a cold compress and a dose of antihistamine is all you need. However, you might not have a serious allergic reaction the first time you're stung.
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