|
Taking the sting out of insect bites
Okay, we admit it. We sometimes get a little obsessive about mosquitoes and other biting bugs.
If making a meal of you isn’t bad enough, when you travel to tropical countries mozzies can transmit pathogens that cause sometimes deadly diseases, including malaria, dengue fever, Chikungunya fever, yellow fever, filariasis, and many others.
It’s our job to make sure every traveller who visits a Travelvax Australia clinic for vaccinations and expert advice understands what insect-borne diseases might be present at their destination and how to minimise the risk of infection. Hence, our obsession…
Now, it’s true that not every mozzie you encounter overseas will be carrying one of these mosquito-borne nasties. (First, they have to bite an infected person or animal before they move on to you.)
But, they breed ‘em big in the tropics and in battalion strength. So, even if you’re not infected, getting bitten by insects you’ve never encountered before can result in your body having a reaction, which can range from mild to severe.
Dr Cameron Webb, a medical entomologist based at the Universityof Sydney and Westmead Hospital, is an expert on insects and we asked his advice on treating their bites.
Biting bugs differ from stinging bugs
“Biting insects like mosquitoes, bed bugs, ticks, and fleas are different to stinging insects like ants, bees and wasps,” Dr Webb explained.
“Biting insects mainly cause allergic reactions due to the saliva they inject when feeding, while stinging insects inject venom when they bite. Insect venom causes pain and swelling at the site of the sting and may cause anaphylaxis.
“Reactions can be quite severe, ranging from itching to nausea, vomiting, low blood pressure, or breathing difficulties. In very rare cases, even death.”
The reddish, inflamed and swollen reactions to bites result from an injection of insect saliva, a chemical cocktail of substances designed to make blood flow quickly and painlessly to the bug as it get its fill quickly.
Read more
|
AUSTRALIA: Syphilis spike in Queensland, NT
Read more
CAMBODIA: Dengue rate up 4-fold
Read more
CHINA: Lethal flu in Hong Kong; Rabies death brings swift response
Read more
ECUADOR: Dengue toll mounts
Read more
INDIA: Rains bring disease to Delhi…
Read more
ISRAEL: Measles hits migrant families in Tel Aviv
Read more
MADAGASCAR: Severe malaria claims 7
Read more
NEPAL: Pokhara braces for disease; Disease hits west; Malaria targeted
Read more
PAKISTAN: Measles rampant in war-torn province
Read more
PARAGUAY: Dengue deaths soar
Read more
PERU: Rabies death due to bat bite; Floods bring leptospirosis
Read more
UNITED KINGDOM: Measles outbreak in West Cork
Read more
USA: Lethal whooping cough at record levels; Norovirus halts cruise; Buddhists hit by food poisoning
Read more
|
