2023-07-09 08:54:02
What are the bites of insects and other parasites that we can face? Answer here with the franceinfo doctor.
It’s my health with Doctor Martin Ducret, doctor and journalist at Doctor’s Daily. He first evokes the insect bites which are most frequent during the summer season.
franceinfo: There are of course mosquito bites, but are you alerting us to the stings of bees, wasps, hornets or bumblebees?
Yes quite. And unlike mosquitoes, these insects inoculate venom under the skin when they bite us. Most often, fortunately, there is only a local reaction with limited swelling which subsides within a few hours. It is then necessary to disinfect, put ice, take paracetamol in case of pain and an antihistamine in case of persistent itching.
Important thing to know: only the bee leaves its stinger stuck in the skin, it must be removed quickly, with the blunt edge of a knife for example, and especially not with tweezers to avoid compressing the stinger and to release even more venom into the wound.
Can these bites be serious?
Sometimes yes. This is the case of multiple bites, beyond 20 in adults and 4 in children. The amount of venom is significant and can lead to general signs, so call 15 or go directly to the emergency room.
It is also the emergency room that you have to go to in the event of an allergic reaction, that is to say when a single bite causes swelling that spreads more and more, which can become generalized and be life-threatening if no treatment is given in time.
Can other parasites also bite us?
Yes, there are of course tick bites, parasites living in nature responsible for 1 in 6 cases of Lyme disease. A disease which first manifests itself by a plaque which extends around the bite in the month following the bite and which requires treatment with antibiotics. If a tick is found attached to the skin, it should be removed with, preferably, tick tweezers by turning it as if you were unscrewing it.
But there are also chiggers, larvae particularly present in the grass at the end of summer, hence their name. And which cause minor pimples that scratch in the skin folds, such as the armpits. To guard against chiggers, avoid direct contact of the skin with the grass, during a picnic for example.
Finally, there are duck fleas, present in freshwater lakes in summer. They lead to minor pimples that itch in the hours following swimming. To prevent this, you must shower after swimming and dry yourself well.
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