What are the key symptoms of tickborne illnesses. How can you safely remove a tick after a bite. When should you seek medical attention following a tick bite. What preventive measures can reduce the risk of contracting Lyme disease.

Understanding Lyme Disease Transmission and Risk Factors

Lyme disease, a potentially serious bacterial infection, is transmitted through the bite of infected ticks. However, it’s crucial to understand that not all tick bites lead to Lyme disease. In fact, only about 2% of tick bites result in this condition. Interestingly, many individuals who contract Lyme disease don’t recall being bitten by a tick at all.

The risk of Lyme disease varies depending on several factors:

• Season: Late spring and early summer pose the highest risk, as this is when nymphal ticks emerge.
• Temperature: Adult ticks can feed whenever temperatures exceed 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Age and gender: While anyone can contract Lyme disease, it’s most common among boys aged 5-19 and adults 30 or older.

Can you become immune to Lyme disease after treatment? Unfortunately, treatment doesn’t confer immunity. You can contract Lyme disease multiple times if bitten by infected ticks on separate occasions.

Proper Tick Removal Techniques: Minimizing Infection Risk

If you discover a tick attached to your skin, prompt and proper removal is essential. Here’s a step-by-step guide to safely remove a tick:

1. Use pointed tweezers to grasp the tick’s mouthparts against the skin.
2. Pull steadily and patiently until the tick comes out. The process may take time due to the barbed mouthparts.
3. Avoid squeezing or crushing the tick’s body, as this may force infected fluids into your skin.
4. Do not apply substances like petroleum jelly, nail polish, or heat from a match to the tick. These methods can agitate the tick and increase the risk of infection.
5. After removal, wash the bite site and your hands thoroughly with soap and water.

How long does a tick need to be attached to transmit Lyme disease? Removing ticks within 36 hours of attachment significantly reduces the risk of infection. This highlights the importance of regular tick checks, especially after spending time outdoors in tick-prone areas.

Common Misconceptions About Tick Removal

There are several myths surrounding tick removal that can actually increase the risk of infection:

• Myth: Burning the tick off is effective.
• Fact: This can cause the tick to regurgitate, potentially increasing the chance of disease transmission.
• Myth: Applying nail polish suffocates the tick, making it easier to remove.
• Fact: This method is slow and may increase the time the tick remains attached, raising infection risk.
• Myth: If the tick’s mouthparts break off in the skin, they can still transmit Lyme disease.
• Fact: While annoying, embedded mouthparts alone do not transmit Lyme disease.

Recognizing the Early Signs of Lyme Disease

After a tick bite, it’s crucial to monitor the site for any signs of infection or early symptoms of Lyme disease. The most characteristic early sign is the appearance of a rash, often described as a “bull’s-eye” pattern.

What does the typical Lyme disease rash look like? The rash, known as erythema migrans, usually appears as a red, expanding area that may clear in the center, creating a bull’s-eye appearance. However, it’s important to note that not all Lyme disease rashes have this distinctive pattern.

• Timing: The rash typically appears 3 to 30 days after the tick bite.
• Size: It expands gradually, potentially reaching up to 12 inches or more in diameter.
• Feeling: The rash may feel warm to the touch but is usually not painful or itchy.
• Location: While it often appears at the site of the tick bite, it can occur anywhere on the body.

Is the presence of a rash a definitive sign of Lyme disease? While the erythema migrans rash is a strong indicator of Lyme disease, it’s not present in all cases. Some people may develop the disease without ever noticing a rash.

Beyond the Rash: Other Early Symptoms of Lyme Disease

While the characteristic rash is a telltale sign of Lyme disease, it’s not the only symptom to watch for. Early symptoms of Lyme disease can mimic those of the flu, making diagnosis challenging. Here are some other symptoms that may appear in the days to weeks following a tick bite:

• Fatigue
• Fever and chills
• Headache
• Muscle and joint aches
• Swollen lymph nodes

Do all people with Lyme disease experience the same symptoms? No, the presentation of Lyme disease can vary significantly from person to person. Some individuals may experience only a few mild symptoms, while others may develop more severe manifestations.

When to Seek Medical Attention

If you develop any of these symptoms following a known or suspected tick bite, it’s important to consult with a healthcare provider promptly. Early diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease lead to the best outcomes.

Should you see a doctor after every tick bite? Not necessarily. However, medical attention is recommended if:

• You develop any symptoms of Lyme disease
• The tick was attached for more than 36 hours
• You’re unable to remove the entire tick
• You’re in an area where Lyme disease is common

Late-Stage Lyme Disease: Recognizing Advanced Symptoms

If left untreated, Lyme disease can progress and cause more serious health problems. These late-stage symptoms may appear weeks, months, or even years after the initial tick bite.

What are the potential complications of untreated Lyme disease? Advanced Lyme disease can affect multiple body systems, leading to:

• Severe headaches and neck stiffness
• Additional rashes on other areas of the body
• Arthritis with severe joint pain and swelling, particularly in the knees
• Facial palsy (loss of muscle tone on one or both sides of the face)
• Intermittent pain in tendons, muscles, joints, and bones
• Heart palpitations or irregular heartbeat (Lyme carditis)
• Episodes of dizziness or shortness of breath
• Inflammation of the brain and spinal cord
• Nerve pain
• Shooting pains, numbness, or tingling in the hands or feet
• Problems with short-term memory

Can late-stage Lyme disease be effectively treated? While late-stage Lyme disease can be more challenging to treat, antibiotics can still be effective in managing symptoms and preventing further complications. However, some individuals may experience persistent symptoms even after treatment, a condition known as Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (PTLDS).

Diagnosis and Treatment of Lyme Disease

Diagnosing Lyme disease can be challenging, as its symptoms often mimic those of other conditions. Healthcare providers typically consider several factors when making a diagnosis:

• Signs and symptoms
• Possibility of exposure to infected ticks
• Results of blood tests (although these can be inconclusive in early stages)

How is Lyme disease typically treated? The standard treatment for Lyme disease is antibiotics. The specific antibiotic, dosage, and duration of treatment depend on the stage of the disease and the individual’s symptoms:

• Early-stage Lyme disease: Usually treated with oral antibiotics for 10-14 days
• Late-stage Lyme disease: May require intravenous antibiotics for 14-28 days

Is it necessary to test ticks for Lyme disease? While it’s possible to test ticks for the bacteria that cause Lyme disease, it’s not routinely recommended. A positive test doesn’t necessarily mean the disease was transmitted, and a negative test doesn’t rule out the possibility of infection.

Preventing Tick Bites and Reducing Lyme Disease Risk

Prevention is key when it comes to Lyme disease and other tickborne illnesses. By taking proactive measures, you can significantly reduce your risk of tick bites and potential infection.

What are effective strategies for preventing tick bites? Here are some proven methods:

• Use insect repellents containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus, para-menthane-diol, or 2-undecanone.
• Treat clothing and gear with products containing 0.5% permethrin.
• Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants when outdoors in tick-prone areas.
• Tuck pants into socks to create a barrier.
• Walk in the center of trails and avoid areas with high grass or leaf litter.
• Conduct thorough tick checks after spending time outdoors.
• Shower within two hours of coming indoors.
• Put clothes in the dryer on high heat for 10 minutes to kill any ticks.

Landscaping for Tick Prevention

Can landscaping help reduce tick populations around your home? Yes, certain landscaping practices can make your property less hospitable to ticks:

• Keep lawns mowed and remove leaf litter.
• Clear tall grasses and brush around homes and at the edge of lawns.
• Place a 3-ft wide barrier of wood chips or gravel between lawns and wooded areas.
• Remove old furniture, mattresses, or trash from the yard that may give ticks a place to hide.

Other Tickborne Illnesses: Beyond Lyme Disease

While Lyme disease is the most well-known tickborne illness, it’s not the only one to be concerned about. Ticks can transmit a variety of other pathogens that cause different diseases.

What other diseases can ticks transmit? Some other tickborne illnesses include:

• Anaplasmosis
• Babesiosis
• Ehrlichiosis
• Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
• Tularemia
• Powassan Virus Disease

Do these diseases have similar symptoms to Lyme disease? While there can be some overlap in symptoms, each tickborne illness has its own unique presentation. However, many share common early symptoms such as fever, chills, headache, and muscle aches.

Coinfections: Multiple Tickborne Illnesses

Is it possible to contract multiple tickborne illnesses from a single tick bite? Yes, ticks can carry and transmit multiple pathogens simultaneously. This situation, known as coinfection, can complicate diagnosis and treatment.

Coinfections may cause:

• More severe symptoms
• Longer duration of illness
• Atypical symptoms that don’t fit neatly into one diagnosis

Given the complexity of tickborne illnesses and the potential for coinfections, it’s crucial to work closely with healthcare providers for accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

LymeMD :: Learn About Lyme

Learn About Lyme Disease

Background

Although Lyme disease is transmitted by the bite of a tick, (See http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/transmission/index.html)
knowledge of any given tick bite is not helpful to predicting whether or not you may have Lyme disease: the majority of individuals that contract Lyme disease will not remember the tick bite. Also, only 2% of tick bites result in Lyme disease. Late spring and early summer are the highest risk season for Lyme disease, when the nymphal stage of the ticks emerge. Adults ticks are present year round and can be feeding any time when temperature exceed 40 degrees. Although both genders and all ages are susceptible, Lyme disease is most common among boys aged 5-19 and adults 30 or older.

If you think you may have Lyme disease,

it is important to consult your health care provider

The prognosis for recovery is best when Lyme disease is diagnosed and treated in its earliest phase. But remember, treatment doesn’t make you immune; you can get Lyme again if another infected tick bites you.

What To Do After a Tick Bite

Removing Ticks

If you or a loved one is bitten, remove the tick promptly. Here’s how:

• Grasp the tick’s mouthparts against the skin, using pointed tweezers.
• Be patient; the long mouthpart is covered with barbs, so removing it can be difficult and time consuming.
• Pull steadily until you can ease the tick out of the skin.
• DO NOT pull back sharply; this may tear the mouthparts from the body of the tick and leave them embedded in the skin.
• If this happens, don’t panic! Embedded mouthparts do not transmit Lyme disease.
• DO NOT squeeze or crush the body of the tick; this may force infected body fluids from the tick into the skin.
• DO NOT apply substances such as petroleum jelly, nail polish, or a lighted match to the tick while it is attached. They may agitate the tick and force more infected fluid into the skin.
• Once you have removed the tick, wash the wound site and your hands with soap and water.
• Observe the bite site over the next two weeks for any signs of an expanding red rash.
• Tick attachment time is important; removing ticks within 36 hours of attachment reduces the risk of infection.
• Testing ticks for infection is possible, but not recommended on a routine basis.
  You should consult your physician to see if you should save; the tick after removal
  for further evaluation.

Recognizing the Rash

If you are bitten by a tick, a small red bump may appear in a few days to a week, usually at the site of the bite
— often in the groin, belt area or behind the knee. This bump may feel warm and tender when touched. If this tick bite has transmitted Lyme disease
the redness may expand over the next weeks and form a round or oval red rash, usually bigger than 5 centimeters in size.
It may resemble the classic bull’s eye, with a red ring surrounding a clear area and a red center.
More often the rash lesion is uniformly red or reddish-blue, is minimally tender and minimally itchy (much less itchy than poison ivy).
This rash, called erythema migrans, is a hallmark of Lyme disease and appears in about 70-80% of infected people.

• If the rash is Lyme disease, it will continue to grow over days or weeks and will not fade in a few days.
• The Lyme rash is often confused with a spider bite.





• Tick bite reactions are often confused with the rash of Lyme disease.
  
  – Only 2% of tick bites result in Lyme disease.
  
  – Tick bite reactions are small, less than 1-2” in size.
  
  – Surrounding redness does not expand when observed over 24-48 hrs.
  
  – Reaction at site of tick bite can last days, even weeks.
• Lyme rash occurs at the site of the tick bite in 80% of people with early Lyme disease.
• Incubation period from tick bite to rash is 3-30 days (usually 3-10 days).
• Lyme disease rash is:
  
  – Round or oval, enlarges in size over days/weeks
  
  – Red, sometimes warm.
  
  – Usually greater than 2” inches in diameter, often 6-8”
  
  – Rarely bull’s eye, usually uniformly red
  
  – Often confused with spider bites

Requesting and Receiving Care

• Diagnosing Lyme Disease
  

  – Lyme disease is a clinical diagnosis made by a doctor or nurse by examining the patient
  
  – Acute Lyme disease is not a laboratory diagnosis; a negative Lyme blood test does not exclude Lyme disease in the first few weeks of the illness.
  
  – 20% of people have a flu-like illness and NO rash.
  
  – Fever, aches, and abrupt severe fatigue can be the main symptoms of acute Lyme.
  
  – Lyme disease is different from respiratory “cold”.
  
  – A runny nose and prominent cough are NOT symptoms of Lyme disease.

  
  

If you have a tick bite, watch for an expanding red rash or lesion at the site of the tick bite or an unexplained feverish, achy, fatiguing illness within 1 to 4 weeks after the tick bite. If this doesn’t happen, you are probably among the 98% of people who don’t develop Lyme disease after a tick bite. If you are concerned about any of these findings, take a picture of the rash and contact your physician.

Symptoms of Lyme Disease

Flu-like symptoms

• Fever, chills, fatigue, body aches, swollen glands, and a headache may accompany the rash.
• In some cases, these may be the only symptoms of infection and there is no rash.

Neurological problems

• In some cases, inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain (meningitis), temporary paralysis of one side of the face (“Bell’s palsy), numbness or weakness in limbs, and impaired muscle movement may occur weeks or months, after an untreated Lyme disease infection.
• Other problems can occur months to years later and include difficulty with short-term memory, migraines, dizziness, ‘brain fog’, poor sleep, lack of verbal fluency, confusion or disorientation, and decreased ability to concentrate.
• Lyme has also been found to mimic several psychiatric disorders.

Joint pain




• Untreated, the infection may cause severe joint pain and swelling from several weeks to months after infection.
• Knees are often affected, but the pain can shift from one joint to another.

Other Symptoms




• Some people experience irregular heartbeat several weeks after infection, rarely lasting more than a few days or weeks.
• Eye inflammation, hepatitis, shooting pains, and severe fatigue are also possible.

When To See a Doctor

If you are bitten by a tick and develop the rash or symptoms of Lyme disease — especially if you live or vacation where Lyme is prevalent, contact your doctor immediately. Treatment is most effective if begun early. Although only a small number of tick bites lead to Lyme disease: the longer the tick remains attached to your skin, the greater your risk of getting the disease.

How Lyme Disease is Diagnosed

Lyme disease is a clinical diagnosis made by a doctor or nurse examining the patient. Early Lyme is not a laboratory diagnosis: a negative Lyme blood test doesn’t rule out Lyme in the first few weeks of the illness. Also, 20% of people have no rash, only a “flu like” illness. Fever, aches and abrupt severe fatigue can be the main symptoms of acute Lyme disease. Lyme is different from a respiratory “cold” and does not cause a runny nose or a prominent cough.

Tick bite reactions are small and do not get bigger over several days. If you have a tick bite, watch the site for signs of a growing red rash in the next 1 – 3 weeks. Small, red reactions less than 1-2” in size (the size of a dime) are common do not represent Lyme disease. These are tick-bite reactions, often confused with the rash of Lyme disease. With a tick-bite reaction, the red area does not expand over 24 to 48 hours. Small reactions at the bite site can last days to weeks.

The earliest stage of Lyme disease occurs at the site of the tick bite. If the rash is Lyme, it will get bigger over days or weeks and will not fade over the next few days. Only 2% of tick bites result in Lyme disease. A Lyme rash occurs at the site of the tick bite in 80% of people who have early Lyme disease. The incubation period from a tick bite to the development of a rash is 3-30 days (usually 3-10 days).

The Lyme rash is red and round or oval and is called erythema migrans. It may have the distinctive bull’s-eye appearance. Often, the rash is uniformly red and usually more than 2” across – often as large as 6-8”. It is sometimes confused with a spider bite.

What Is Not Lyme Disease

• Small, red areas about the size of a dime are common after tick bites. They are not Lyme disease.

• With a non-Lyme tick bite reaction, the surrounding redness does not expand over 2 to 4 days.

• These small reactions from a tick bite can last from several days to weeks.

Tick Bite

Is this your child’s symptom?

• A tick (small brown bug) is attached to the skin
• A tick was removed from the skin

Symptoms of a Tick Bite

• A tick bite does not cause pain or itch. So, ticks may not be noticed for a few days.
• After feeding on blood, ticks get swollen and easier to see.
• Ticks fall off on their own after sucking blood for 3 to 6 days.
• After the tick comes off, a little red bump may be seen.
• The red bump or spot is the body’s response to the tick’s saliva (spit).
• While it’s sucking blood, some of its spit gets mixed in.

Causes of Tick Bites

• The wood tick (dog tick) is the size of an apple seed. After feeding, it can double or triple in size. Sometimes, it can pass on Rocky Mountain spotted fever or Colorado tick fever.
• The deer tick is the size of a poppy seed. After a feeding, it can triple in size. Sometimes, it can pass on Lyme disease.

Lyme Disease

• Over 95% of people who get Lyme disease live in or have traveled to 14 high-risk states. Lyme disease mainly occurs in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and upper Midwest. Many states do not have Lyme disease. The CDC reports over 30,000 new cases per year (2015).
• About 80% of Lyme disease starts with a bull’s eye rash called erythema migrans. The rash starts at the site of the tick bite. It starts on the average at 7 days. It grows larger quickly, to more than 2 inches (5 cm) wide. It can become as large as 12 inches (30 cm). It lasts 2 or 3 weeks. Treatment of this rash with an antibiotic is advised. This almost always prevents the later stages of Lyme Disease. If Lyme Disease isn’t treated, heart, joint and neurologic problems can occur.
• Giving antibiotics after deer tick bites to prevent Lyme Disease depends on the risk. The risk is low with brief attachment. The risk is high if the deer tick was attached for longer than 36 hours. It’s also higher if the tick is swollen, not flat. Ask your doctor for advice.
• The risk of Lyme Disease after a deer tick bite is low. Even in high risk areas, only 2% of deer tick bites cause Lyme Disease.

When to Call for Tick Bite

Call Doctor or Seek Care Now

• Can’t remove the tick after trying this care advice
• Widespread rash starts 2 to 14 days after the bite
• Fever or headache starts 2 to 14 days after the bite
• Fever and bite looks infected (spreading redness)
• Weak, droopy eyelid, droopy face or crooked smile
• Your child looks or acts very sick
• You think your child needs to be seen, and the problem is urgent

Contact Doctor Within 24 Hours

• Deer tick was attached for more than 36 hours
• Deer tick is swollen, not flat
• New redness starts more than 24 hours after the bite. Note: bacterial infection is rare. It does not start until at least 24-48 hours after the bite.
• More than 48 hours since the bite and redness now getting larger
• Red-ring or bull’s eye rash occurs around a deer tick bite. Note: the rash of Lyme disease starts 3 to 30 days after the bite.
• You think your child needs to be seen, but the problem is not urgent

Contact Doctor During Office Hours

• You have other questions or concerns

Self Care at Home

• Wood tick bite
• Deer tick bite
• Preventing tick bites

Seattle Children’s Urgent Care Locations

If your child’s illness or injury is life-threatening, call 911.

Care Advice

Treating Tick Bites

1. What You Should Know About Wood Tick Bites:
   • Most wood tick bites are harmless.
   • The spread of disease by wood ticks is not common.
   • If the tick is still attached to the skin, it needs to be taken off.
   • Try one of the methods described below to take out the tick.
2. Wood Tick – How to Remove with Tweezers:
   • Use tweezers. Grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible (on its head).
   • Hold the tweezers sideways next to the top of the skin.
   • Pull the wood tick straight upward without twisting or crushing it.
   • Keep a steady pressure until the tick lets go of its grip.
   • If you don’t have tweezers, you can use your fingers.
   • Other options. You can use a loop of thread around the jaws. You can also use a needle pushed between the jaws for traction. Jaws are the part of the head attached to the skin.
   • Not helpful: Covering the tick with petroleum jelly or nail polish doesn’t work. Neither does rubbing alcohol or a soapy cotton ball. Touching the tick with a hot or cold object also doesn’t work.
3. What You Should Know About Deer Tick Bites:
   • Most deer tick bites are harmless.
   • The spread of disease by deer ticks is not common.
   • Even in high risk areas, only 2% of deer tick bites cause Lyme disease.
   • Most people who get Lyme disease live in or have traveled to 14 high-risk states. Lyme disease mainly occurs in the Northeast and upper Midwest. Many states do not have Lyme disease.
4. Deer Tick – How to Remove:
   • If it is swollen, try to remove with a tweezers. See wood tick advice.
   • Tiny deer ticks need to be scraped off.
   • You can remove them with the edge of a credit card.
5. Tick’s Head – When to Remove:
   • If the wood tick’s head (mouth parts) breaks off in the skin, remove any large pieces.
   • Clean the skin with rubbing alcohol.
   • Use a clean tweezers or needle to scrape it off.
   • If a small piece remains, the skin will slowly heal and shed it.
6. Antibiotic Ointment:
   • After the tick is removed, wash the wound with soap and water. Also, wash your hands after you are done.
   • This helps to prevent catching any infections carried by the tick.
   • Use an antibiotic ointment (such as Polysporin). No prescription is needed.
   • Put it on the bite once.
7. What to Expect:
   • Most often, tick bites don’t itch or hurt.
   • That’s why they may not be noticed.
   • The little bump goes away in 2 days.
   • If the tick transferred a disease, a rash will occur. It will appear in the next 4 weeks.
8. Call Your Doctor If:
   • You tried and can’t remove the tick
   • Fever or rash happens in the next 4 weeks
   • Bite starts to look infected
   • You think your child needs to be seen
   • Your child becomes worse

Prevent Tick Bites

1. Prevent Tick Bites:
   • After being outdoors in deer tick areas, check for ticks. Remove any that are attached. Also, take a shower soon after coming inside.
   • Tumble any clothing in a hot dryer for 10 minutes. That should kill any ticks left in the clothing.
   • When hiking outside where there are ticks, wear long clothing. Tuck the ends of pants into socks.
   • Use a bug repellent to shoes, socks and exposed skin.
2. Tick Repellent for Clothing – Permethrin:
   • Permethrin products (such as Duranon) work well to repel ticks.
   • Unlike DEET, these products are put on clothing instead of skin. They also can last through many washes. Use it on pant cuffs, socks and shoes. You can also put it on other outdoor items (bug netting, sleeping bags).
   • Do not put it on skin. Reason: Sweat changes it so it does not work.
3. Tick Repellent for Skin – DEET:
   • DEET also works well to repel ticks. It can be used on the skin not covered by clothing.
   • Use 20-30% DEET for children and teens (AAP). Note: 30% DEET protects for 6 hours.
   • DEET is approved for use in children over 2 months of age (AAP).

And remember, contact your doctor if your child develops any of the ‘Call Your Doctor’ symptoms.

Disclaimer: this health information is for educational purposes only. You, the reader, assume full responsibility for how you choose to use it.

Last Reviewed: 04/05/2021

Last Revised: 03/11/2021

Copyright 2000-2021. Schmitt Pediatric Guidelines LLC.

What to do after a tick bite

Removing the Tick

Tick attachment time is important. Removing ticks as soon as possible reduces the risk of infection. If you or a loved one is bitten, remove the tick promptly. Here’s how:

• Grasp the tick’s mouthparts against the skin, using pointed tweezers.
• Be patient; the long mouthpart is covered with barbs, so removing it can be difficult and time consuming.
• Pull steadily without twisting until you can ease the tick head straight out of the skin.
• DO NOT pull back sharply; this may tear the mouthparts from the body of the tick and leave them embedded in the skin.
• If this happens, don’t panic! Embedded mouthparts do not transmit Lyme disease.
• DO NOT squeeze or crush the body of the tick; this may force infected body fluids from the tick into the skin.
• DO NOT apply substances such as petroleum jelly, nail polish, or a lighted match to the tick while it is attached. They may agitate the tick and force more infected fluid into the skin.
• Once you have removed the tick, wash the wound site and your hands with soap and water, and apply rubbing alcohol or antiseptic to the site.
• Observe the bite site over the next two weeks for any signs of an expanding red rash or flu-like symptoms.
• Consult with your PCP about sending your tick to a lab to be tested for pathogens.

Recognizing the Rash After a Tick Bite

It is important to understand that a rash is not always present or easily recognizable in early Lyme disease, and this can lead to delayed diagnosis and treatment.

Please refer to our poster of varied Lyme disease rash manifestations as a helpful identification tool.

It is wise to take a picture of the rash with the date for your medical record, since a rash compatible with erythema migrans rash should prompt urgent evaluation and treatment. Lyme disease is most successfully treated in this first stage.

If you have a suspicious rash or your symptoms persist, please seek medical care immediately.

The Lyme disease rash, called erythema migrans, is:

• Round or oval, enlarges in size over days/weeks, & will not fade in a few days
• Usually greater than 2” inches in diameter, often 6-8”
• Usually uniformly red
• Sometimes but not often, a “bull’s eye” rash with a red ring surrounding a clear area and red center
• Minimally tender, minimally itchy (much less itchy than poison ivy), and sometimes warm
• Often confused with spider bites

The incubation period from tick bite to rash is usually 3-10 days but can be 30 days.

The Lyme rash can spread through the bloodstream to other areas of the skin.

Sometimes blisters develop in the center of the rash.

Tick bite reactions are often confused with the rash of Lyme disease.

Tick bite reactions:

• Are small red bumps, less than 1-2” in size
• Appear at the site of the bite, often in the groin, belt area, arm pits, or behind the knee
• Do not expand in size when observed over 24-48 hrs
• May feel warm and tender to the touch
• Can last days, even weeks

Requesting and Receiving Care For the Tick Bite

If you have a tick bite, watch for an expanding red rash or lesion at the site of the tick bite or an unexplained feverish, achy, fatiguing illness within 1 to 4 weeks after the tick bite. If you are concerned about symptoms or a rash, take a picture of the rash and contact your physician.

Diagnosing Lyme Disease:

• Lyme disease is a clinical diagnosis made by a doctor or nurse by examining the patient.
• Acute Lyme disease is not a laboratory diagnosis; a negative Lyme blood test does not exclude Lyme disease in the first few weeks of the illness.
• Many with Lyme disease have a flu-like illness and NO rash.
• Fever, aches, and abrupt and severe fatigue can be the main symptoms of acute Lyme.
• Lyme disease is different from a respiratory “cold”.
• A runny nose and prominent cough are NOT symptoms of Lyme disease.
• Blood tests do not accurately diagnose Lyme disease in the first few weeks of infection, so being vigilant about looking for symptoms is a more reliable way to identify an early case of Lyme disease.

Lyme disease rash: Symptoms, stages, and identification

A rash is a common symptom of Lyme disease. These types of rashes can change over time, as the bacteria spread.

Lyme disease can result from the bite of a black-legged tick that is carrying the bacterium.

In the early stages of the disease, around 70–80 percent of people develop a rash that resembles a bull’s-eye. The medical term for this distinctive rash is erythema migrans.

Other people with Lyme disease may have a different type of rash or no rash at all.

In this article, we describe Lyme disease rashes, other symptoms, and the stages of the illness. We also look at treatment options.

There are three stages of Lyme disease.

After exposure to the bacteria that cause Lyme disease, a person may notice some of the following skin changes:

Stage 1

In the first stage of Lyme disease, a quick-spreading rash often develops at or near the site of the bite.

The rash tends to appear within a few days or weeks of infection.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States, there are several types of Lyme disease rash. These include:

• a distinctive bull’s-eye rash with a central clear ring that slowly expands — this is the “classic” type
• an expanding red lesion with a crusty center
• a red, circular rash with a clear center
• a red, oval-shaped rash

Ticks can bite any area of the body, but they usually target the:

Individuals may notice a small spot or lump on the skin in the center of a rash. In the early stages, the rash may be:

• warm to the touch
• smooth
• scaly or crusty at the outer edges
• itchy, burning, or painful, in rare cases
• small, but it may gradually expand to 12 or more inches

Stage 2

If a person does not receive treatment, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease spreads in the body. This is stage 2 of the disease.

Stage 2 rashes generally appear 1–6 months (or more) after infection.

When the disease is in the second stage, a person may develop several small oval-shaped rashes on the face, legs, and arms. These may have a dusky center. Other people develop a bluish rash without a clear center.

Stage 1 rashes grow quickly, but stage 2 rashes tend to remain the same size.

Stage 3

There are few skin changes in the third stage of Lyme disease. Those that can occur typically affect the hands and feet. Symptoms can include:

In severe cases, usually months or years after infection, skin symptoms may include:

• hardening of the skin
• loss of hair around the affected area
• loss of sweat glands
• thinning and tearing of the skin
• lymphoma tumors that form on the skin, though this is rare

Additional signs and symptoms

Not everyone with Lyme disease develops a rash. Other symptoms in the first 3–30 days can include:

In the later stages, Lyme disease can cause:

• numbness or tingling in the hands and feet
• shortness of breath
• neck stiffness
• dizziness
• arthritis
• severe fatigue
• nerve-related pain
• pain in the bones, muscles, and joints
• a loss of muscle tone in one or both sides of the face that results in drooping (facial palsy)
• intense headaches
• chest pain
• short-term memory loss (dementia)
• an irregular heart rhythm
• inflammation of the brain and spinal cord
• heart failure

The most common type of Lyme disease rash resembles a bull’s-eye on a dartboard.

The rash tends to have a red center, surrounded by a clear ring with a red circle around it. They can spread and may measure up to 12 or more inches across.

The rash will usually appear within 30 days of a bite from a tick that carries the Lyme disease bacteria. The rash typically remains for 3–5 weeks.

A doctor can help identify a Lyme disease rash.

According to the CDC, health centers in the U.S. report around 300,000 diagnoses of Lyme disease each year.

Approximately 70–80 percent of people with Lyme disease develop the classic bull’s-eye rash within 30 days of infection.

Share on PinterestIf a person has any symptoms of Lyme disease and may have been bitten by a tick, they should seek urgent treatment.

Anyone who suspects that they have Lyme disease should see a doctor for a diagnosis.

The doctor will ask about a person’s medical history and perform a physical examination. They may also order blood tests to help with diagnosis.

If a person may have been bitten by a tick, and they notice a rash or other Lyme disease symptoms, they should seek treatment without delay.

The longer a tick with the bacterium remains on the skin, the higher the risk of contracting Lyme disease.

Even if symptoms disappear, it is best to seek medical attention. Untreated Lyme disease can damage the nervous system, and cause arthritis and other serious conditions.

Early detection and treatment are key in preventing complications and supporting a good outlook for a person with Lyme disease.

A doctor will prescribe antibiotics. People typically need to take oral antibiotics for up to 21 days.

Examples of antibiotics for Lyme disease include:

• amoxicillin
• cefuroxime
• doxycycline

Always finish a course of antibiotics to ensure that the infection is completely eradicated.

If the disease is affecting the central nervous system, a doctor may recommend intravenous (IV) antibiotics. In this case, the drugs enter the body through a vein. A person may need this treatment for up to 1 month.

Although effective, IV antibiotics can have adverse effects, such as:

• diarrhea, which can also occur with oral antibiotics
• a decreased white blood cell count
• an increased vulnerability to other infections

Antibiotic treatments are effective for most people with Lyme disease. However, even after treatment, some people still experience symptoms, including fatigue. If this occurs, a specialist can investigate further.

There are several types of Lyme disease rashes, and they can change over time.

It is important to recognize the symptoms, as untreated Lyme disease can cause complications that affect the nerves, the joints, and short-term memory.

If a person receives treatment when the disease is at an early stage, there is a good chance of recovery. Full recovery can take several months.

For some people, symptoms can last for years. The medical community is not sure why this happens, but further antibiotic treatment does not appear to resolve the issue.

Here’s Exactly How To Know If A Tick Bite Could Be Lyme Disease

I randomly found a tick on my side earlier this week and did what anyone would do: I had a minor freak-out, ripped it off my body, flushed it down the toilet, and texted my husband about how gross the experience was. But, even though the tick is long gone, I’ve been silently spazzing about it ever since.

After all, I’ve repeatedly read about how Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Yolanda Foster, along with her daughter Bella Hadid, and singer Avril Lavigne have been left incapacitated by the tick-borne Lyme disease, and I have an aunt who has battled the disease for years. The small, itchy red bump the tick left behind is a constant reminder that Lyme disease, the tick-borne illness caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, could happen to anyone—including me.

Now that the weather is warmer and we start to spend more time outdoors, there’s a greater chance that we’ll all be more exposed to ticks—and potentially Lyme disease. Is my freak-out justified?

Maybe, says board-certified infectious disease specialist Amesh A. Adalja, M.D., an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. While approximately 30,000 new cases of the disease are reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) each year, Adalja says everyone’s personal risk really depends on where they live. “In Pennsylvania, for example, the ticks have a high prevalence of Lyme disease, so there’s a high likelihood,” he says. “But if you’re not in one of those areas, the likelihood is less.”

The CDC has a map online that breaks down high-risk areas, which are largely concentrated in the northeastern U.S., as well as parts of Wisconsin and Minnesota. Nancy Troyano, Ph.D., an entomologist with Rentokil pest control, warns that “the prediction for this season is a higher prevalence of ticks than we usually see around this time.”

It also matters how long the tick is latched on to your body Adalja says. “It has to be attached for 48 to 72 hours—it won’t instantly pass” the bacteria, he says.

While Lyme disease isn’t the only disease that can be passed from ticks (Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Ehrlichiosis are two notable tick-borne illnesses), you shouldn’t automatically assume that you’ll get sick from having a tick bite, says William Schaffner, M.D., an infectious-disease specialist and professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. “There are many tick bites and, even taking all of the tick-borne illnesses together, relatively few illnesses,” he tells SELF.

Schaffner urges prevention—namely in the form of wearing insect repellent with DEET when you’re going to be in bushy or wooded areas. But, if you spot a tick on your body, he recommends staying calm and following the proper procedure to get rid of it. That means getting a tissue, grabbing the tick firmly as close to the surface of your skin as possible, and very slowly pulling it out, perpendicular to your skin. “You don’t want to yank it—you can leave the head embedded,” he says. “Pull it out slowly and steadily.” (I definitely pulled a little too enthusiastically and now have two little holes where the tick had latched on.)

You may have a little redness or a bump for three to four days afterward, but it should go away, he says.

However, if you were bitten by a tick carrying Lyme disease, you can start to experience symptoms within week or so, says Adalja. Those include flu-like symptoms like a fever, chills, and rash, and often a “bulls-eye rash” with a red dot in the center and a ring around it that spreads outward. (According to the CDC, the rash is rarely itchy or painful.)

If you notice any of these symptoms after removing a tick or being in an area where ticks are prevalent, call your doctor. Early detection is important with Lyme disease, Schaffner says: “Antibiotic treatment can eradicate it if you catch it early.”

To lower the odds it will happen to you, Adalja recommends doing a bodily inspection after you’ve been outdoors in a rural area or your yard. “If you inspect your body every 24 hours, it’s unlikely you’ll contract Lyme disease,” he says.

Tick Bite, No Abx Tx

You have been bitten by a tick. Ticks are small arachnids that feed on the blood of rodents, rabbits, birds, deer, dogs, and people. A tick bite may cause redness, itching, and mild swelling at the site. Sometimes you may have no reaction where the tick bit you.

Most tick bites are harmless. But some ticks carry diseases, such as Lyme disease or Rocky Mountain spotted fever. These can be passed to people at the time of the bite. Lyme disease is of greatest concern. Right now you have no symptoms of Lyme disease or other serious reaction to the bite. It’s important to watch for the warning signs, which could appear weeks or months after the tick bite. If you are concerned, many states have agencies that will test the tick that bit you for disease. Check with your local officials to see if this service is offered in your area.

Home care

The following will help you care for your bite at home:

• If itching is a problem, don’t wear tight clothing. And avoid anything that heats up your skin. This includes hot showers or baths and direct sunlight. This will tend to make the itching worse.

• An ice pack will reduce local areas of redness and itching. Make your own ice pack by putting ice cubes in a plastic bag that seals at the top. Wrap the bag in a clean, thin towel. Never put ice or an ice pack directly on the skin. Creams containing benzocaine will reduce itching. These creams are available over the counter.

• You can use an antihistamine with diphenhydramine if your healthcare provider did not give you another antihistamine. This medicine may be used to reduce itching and inflammation. Be aware it may cause drowsiness. It is available at pharmacies and grocery stores. If symptoms continue, talk with your provider or pharmacist about other medicines that may reduce symptoms.

Follow-up care

Follow up with your healthcare provider, or as advised.

When to get medical advice

Call your healthcare provider right away if any of these occur:

Signs of local infection. Watch for these during the next few days:

• Increasing redness around the bite site

• Increased pain or swelling

• Fever over 100.4°F (38.0°C), or as directed by your healthcare provider

• Fluid draining from the bite area

Get medical care right away for signs of tick-related disease. Watch for these during the next few weeks or months:

• Circular, red, ring-like rash appears at the bite area in 1 to 3 weeks

• A non-itchy red rash develops on your wrists or ankles and spreads. It may become purple (petechiae).

• Red eyes

• Tiredness, fever or chills, nausea or vomiting

• Neck pain or stiffness, headache, or confusion

• Muscle or bone aches

• Irregular or fast heartbeat

• Joint pain or swelling, especially in the knee

• Numbness, tingling, or weakness in the arms or legs

• Weakness on one side of the face

Tick bite treatment and home remedies

Summertime is the perfect time to enjoy the outdoors. And with temperatures rising, it’s tempting to take on outdoor adventures in T-shirts and shorts, maybe even barefoot. But all that exposed skin leaves you vulnerable for three common issues this time of year: rash from poison ivy, bug bites and, specifically, ticks.

Don’t let creepy, crawly, itchy detour your outdoor fun. Beverly Kestler, APRN, a nurse practitioner with Norton Prompt Care at Walgreens, shares her tips for preventing these common skin issues, at-home treatments and when you should see a health care provider.

1.    Rash from poison ivy

Prevention:

• Wear protective clothing when in the woods or working in the yard. Protective clothing can include long sleeves, long pants, a hat and gloves when handling plants.
• Wash clothing right away after outdoor activity; the oil from poison ivy can linger on clothing.
• Have a professional remove any poison ivy in your yard.
• Keep a poison ivy kit on hand that includes rubbing alcohol, bottled water and soap. The sooner you wash the oil off the skin, the better chance you have of decreasing the severity of the rash.

How to treat:

• The rash will resolve on its own, however, the itching associated with the rash can be unbearable.
• Remove the oil from the skin as soon as possible with rubbing alcohol and/or a lukewarm shower with soap.
• Try not to scratch; use over-the-counter hydrocortisone creams or an oral antihistamine to help ease the itchiness.
• Oatmeal baths or baking soda (1 cup added to bath water), as well as cold, wet compresses, can help relieve itchy skin.

When to see a provider:

• If the rash is near your eyes, mouth or genitals, or if it covers more than 25% of your body.
• Rash does not resolve within seven to 10 days.
• You have difficulty breathing or swallowing, your eyes swell or if you develop a fever.

Your health care provider may recommend creams or gels, prescribe a steroid dose pack or a steroid injection.

Related Content: Where do I go for seasonal allergy relief?

Also: Sinus infection treatment: Where do I go for care?

2.    Bumps on skin from insect bites — from spider or mosquito bite to bee sting

Prevention:

• Cover your skin whenever possible, and use an insect repellent on exposed skin.
• Wear shoes outside.
• Never disturb an insect nest.
• Avoid areas near stagnant water such as swamps or ponds, and watch for bees around flowering plants.
• Keep food and drink covered when outside. Bees are attracted to sugary drinks.
• Keep car and house windows closed.
• Avoid using strong perfumes.

How to treat:

• When stung by a bee, remove the stinger and clean the area with soap and water.
• When bitten or stung, remove any jewelry around the area in case of swelling; ice the area for 10 minutes, remove, and repeat for 10 minutes; keep the area elevated.
• Use over-the-counter pain relievers for pain, and use an antihistamine to relieve itching.

When to see a provider:

• If you are stung or bitten around your mouth or nose.
• If the area starts to ooze or the redness spreads.
• You experience pain or swelling at the site of bite, or have any of the following symptoms: difficulty breathing, headache, nausea, weakness, chills or swollen lymph nodes.

Your health care provider may prescribe antihistamines for itching and over-the-counter pain relievers to reduce pain. Your provider may also prescribe an antibiotic if the area is infected.

For the care you need now for rashes and insect bites

Primary care, immediate care, Norton eCare and Norton Prompt Care at Walgreens.

Choose your care option

3.    Tick bite treatment and home remedy

Prevention:

• Know where ticks live: grassy or wooded areas.
• Treat clothing with permethrin, an insecticide that can kill ticks on contact.
• Wear long sleeves and long pants when outdoors.
• After you come indoors: Check your entire body, clothing and any gear for ticks.

How to treat:

• If you find a tick, remove it as soon as possible. Using fine-tipped tweezers, grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible and pull the tick upward in a steady motion. Do not use twisting or jerking movements.
• Clean the area with rubbing alcohol or soap and water.

When to see a provider:

• If you develop a rash that looks like a bull’s-eye.
• You’re unable to remove the tick completely.
• You experience pain or swelling at the site of bite, or have any of the following symptoms: difficulty breathing, headache, nausea, weakness, chills or swollen lymph nodes.

Your health care provider may prescribe doxycycline, unless it should not be used in your situation. The provider may start you on an antibiotic if it’s within 72 hours of the tick removal. If you retain the tick, it may be possible to identify the species and determine if it is a species that carries Lyme disease. If you can estimate the amount of time the tick was attached, it can help your health care provider determine treatment options.

Login to or sign up for MyNortonChart to send a message to your provider or to schedule a same-day or next-day appointment. Or, check out all of your care options with Norton Healthcare here.

Insect bites

This summer, each of us has already felt all the “joy” of insect bites. Mosquitoes have been particularly annoying this season.

Insect bites not only feel unpleasant, but can also conceal some dangers, which it is better to know about in advance and be armed.

Why are bites dangerous?

Allergic reaction comes first. After being bitten by any insect, an anaphylactic reaction can occur.Not everyone. This is especially true for people with a history of allergic reactions.

Anaphylactic reaction occurs with lightning speed. The person feels weak, then symptoms rapidly increase, such as shortness of breath, increased heart rate, loss of consciousness.

This is a life-threatening condition. I need urgent medical attention.

The most common allergic reaction to insect bites in the form of unbearable itching, inflammation of the bite site. When there are a lot of such bites, it causes great discomfort and entails the risk of a secondary infection.

The second, no less important problem associated with insect bites is infection.

Everyone has heard of Lyme disease (borreliosis), tick-borne viral encephalitis, malaria and other infections associated specifically with insect bites. In this case, insects are the carrier of the pathogen.

Who are we talking about?

We will look at the bites of mosquitoes, ticks, wasps, bees, horseflies, midges – these are the most common causes of summer bite-related troubles.You can also suffer from the bites of bedbugs, spiders, fleas.

Mosquito bites

Intolerable itching is a reaction to the proteins contained in the insect’s saliva, which it injects in the process of sucking blood in order to stop the process of blood clotting.

In some countries, mosquito bites can transmit diseases such as malaria, Zika, Dengue and yellow fever.

Tick bites

The moment of the tick bite is painless.He is found already sucked. The danger is that ticks are carriers of serious diseases – tick-borne viral encephalitis, Lyme disease, human granulocytic anaplasmosis and human monocytic ehrlichiosis. A distinctive feature of borreliosis (Lyme disease) is a round, ring-like rash that resembles circles.

Wasp and bee stings

Wasps, bees and hornets have a sting for self-defense. The sting contains poison (poisonous substance) that gets into the bite, causing severe pain and burning.Swelling, inflammation, redness, and itching may also appear. The most dangerous thing is anaphylaxis: swelling of the face, choking, dizziness. Urgent medical attention is required.

Horsefly bites

Horseflies attack in hot, sultry weather.

Horsefly bite is rather painful, can cause a sharp burning sensation. Often there is an itching sensation, inflammation and swelling in the area of ​​the bite. Even the appearance of a hematoma is possible.

Bites of midges

There are about 4000 species of biting midges.The smallest flies that attack humans can range in size from 1 to 3 mm. Despite their tiny size, midge bites can be irritating and even cause a local painful reaction.

Flea bites

Flea bites leave an itchy scar on the skin, often on the ankles and feet.

General symptoms

After a bite, even if you do not feel it, you can find a red, painful, itchy, usually round spot on the body.

What if you get bitten or stung?

First of all, if bitten by a tick, you need to pull it out. If it is not possible to do it yourself, contact the emergency room. If bitten by a wasp or bee, you need to get the sting. Next, it is important to wash the affected area with soap and water, you can make a cold compress.

Pain, swelling and itching can sometimes last for several days. Ask your healthcare provider about medications that can help. These can include pain relievers, itching creams, and antihistamines.

When to seek medical attention?

If symptoms worsen after a bite for a long time.

You have been bitten or stung in the mouth, near the throat, or in the eye area.

A large area (about 10 cm or more of skin) around the bite becomes red and swollen.

Symptoms of infection, such as pus or intensifying pain, edema appeared.

Symptoms of infection such as fever, malaise have appeared.

Get emergency medical help immediately if you or anyone else has symptoms of a severe reaction such as:

• Shortness of breath or shortness of breath.

• Swelling of the face, mouth, throat.

• Increased heart rate.

• Dizziness or weakness.

• Difficulty swallowing.

• Loss of consciousness.

These cases require a hospital emergency.

How to prevent insect bites

Stay calm and walk away slowly if there are wasps, hornets or bees nearby – do not wave your arms or knock them down.

Wear closed clothing.

Do not walk barefoot on the grass.

Apply insect repellent to exposed skin or clothing as directed – repellents containing 50% DEET (diethyltoluamide) are most effective.

Avoid using strong perfumes such as soaps, eau de toilette, perfumes, shampoos and deodorants.They can attract insects.

Be careful around flowering plants, debris, bodies of water, and in open areas where food is sold.

It is also recommended that you take extra precautions if you are traveling to a part of the world where there is a risk of serious illness. For example, you may be advised to take antimalarial pills to avoid malaria.

Insect bites – BU “Nizhnevartovsk city polyclinic”

Insect bites

• Insect bites can cause allergic reactions, local infections and systemic diseases.
• In Russia, insect vectors spread Lyme disease, tick-borne encephalitis, tularemia, Pogost’s disease and encephalitis caused by the Inkoo virus.
• Allergy to wasp or bee stings may lead to anaphylactic reaction.
• Prophylactic antihistamines may help with mosquito bite allergies.

Symptoms

• When an insect bites, an erythematous spot first appears on the skin, which may enlarge like a blister.
• There is usually a small petechiae in the center of the bite site.
• Skin reaction is a combination of insect venom and the body’s immunological response, which explains a wide range of individual differences in responses.
• Delayed allergic reactions may develop after insect bites. In their place, itchy papules or nodules persist for several weeks.
• With anaphylaxis at the site of the bite, extensive erythema and edema usually develop, after a few minutes general symptoms such as malaise and low blood pressure join.
• In addition, acute urticaria and generalized or limited itching of the palms and soles are possible.
• Anaphylactic reactions are especially common in individuals who are allergic to Hymenoptera stings. For information on testing and treatment, see the section on Hymenoptera below.

Complications caused by insect bites

• Severe local reaction (painful erythema, edema, angioedema) near mucous membranes (eg, pharynx or lips) can lead to airway obstruction.
• A purulent skin infection (pyoderma) may develop at the site of the bite. It is especially typical for tourists. See the article on skin problems in tourists.
• There are rare cases of abscess, erysipelas, or phlegmon at the site of the bite.
• In persons sensitized to hymenoptera venom, a bite may result in an anaphylactic reaction.
• Clinically significant infections spread by arthropods in Russia:
  • Lyme disease and tick-borne encephalitis (both spread by ticks)
  • Tularemia, spread by mosquitoes, sometimes by ticks, midges or horseflies
  • Pogost’s disease and encephalitis caused by Inco virus (both diseases are spread by certain mosquito species).

Research

• Diagnosis is based on history and clinical examination
• It is important to evaluate the site of the bite (erythema annulus, necrotizing papule or ulcer, photograph) and other skin symptoms (eg, urticaria, pruritus), as well as mucosal and general symptoms (fever, articular and neurological symptoms).
• The diagnosis of Afzelius-Lipschütz erythema migrans and tularemia (scab ulcer) is clinical, which implies initiation of therapy based on the clinical presentation.
• For hymenoptera venom anaphylaxis, skin prick tests and specific serum IgE antibodies to wasp and bee venom should be performed.
• Culture may be required for purulent infection of the bite site.
• In doubtful cases, histological examination of a skin biopsy may show a typical reaction to an insect bite, which, however, is not an absolute diagnostic criterion.

Diptera (mosquitoes and flies)

Mosquitoes

• A mosquito bite causes the rapid appearance of urticaria-like papules, which almost always disappear spontaneously, but in sensitized individuals it can persist for a long time and be accompanied by itching.
• Large papules and even vesicles may appear.
• Antihistamines, such as Cetirizinum (cetirizine) 10 mg once a day, reduce mosquito bite allergy symptoms, especially when taken prophylactically.

Midges

• Midges cannot bite through clothing, but they can bite when crawling under it. Many develop papules that can last for up to several weeks.
• Individuals allergic to their venom may develop extensive local tissue edema.
• Midge bites usually cause severe itching, and scratching can lead to ulceration or secondary infection.

Blindflies

• A horsefly bite usually causes a large papule with a pale spot in the center.
• Treatment
  • For local treatment, you can use ointments with class II – III glucocorticosteroids or their combination with an antiseptic 1–2 r / day. within 1-2 weeks.
  • In the presence of a secondary infection at the site of the bite, it is recommended to use antibacterial ointments or creams 2-3 times a day for 1 to 2 weeks.
  • Wet and cold compresses or cooling gel can help relieve symptoms.
  • For severe reactions, a 3-day course of oral glucocorticosteroids, such as Prednisolonum (prednisolone) 40 mg / day, may be indicated.

Hymenoptera

• Due to the ingress of poison at the site of a wasp, (honey) bee or bumblebee sting, severe pain and swelling immediately occur.
• Globally, hymenoptera venom sensitization causes many potentially fatal anaphylactic reactions every year.
• People who are allergic to wasp venom are generally not allergic to bee venom and vice versa.
• Treatment
  • The bite site must be immobilized to prevent further spread of the poison.
  • The sting of a bee remaining in the skin must be removed quickly to prevent the entire contents of the venom reservoir from being emptied into the skin. It is best to scrape it off the skin with a thin, flat object (bank card, coin). Wasp or bumblebee do not leave a sting in the skin.
  • Suitable first aid measures: cold compresses, lotions or cooling gel.
  • Individuals with multiple bites should be monitored to monitor systemic responses.
  • Anaphylactic reactions
    • Acute anaphylactic reactions are treated as anaphylaxis, and future contact with Hymenoptera should be avoided.
    • After the development of a systemic reaction (anaphylaxis) to a Hymenoptera bite, allergy tests are recommended.
    • First aid: the patient should carry an anti-shock kit containing a solution of Adrenalini hydrochloridum (epinephrine hydrochloride) 0.1% 1.0 ml in ampoules; in addition, 40 mg of Prednisolonum (prednisolone) and an antihistamine, for example in the form of lozenges, are administered once.
    • Examination for anaphylaxis
      • Hymenoptera venom allergy is diagnosed with positive prick test results and / or detection of IgE antibodies to bee or wasp venom after anaphylactic reaction.IgE-reaction can be determined only 1–2 months after the bite.
      • If both tests are positive, allergen-specific IgE antibodies may be tested to identify the true cause of the allergy.
      • In such cases, it is also recommended to send a serum sample for immunochemical analysis (spot immunoassay), if this service is available. Unfortunately, this technique is not used in the Russian Federation.
      • If the patient has had a typical systemic reaction to Hymenoptera venom but specific IgE tests are negative, these tests should be repeated and specific tests should be considered in consultation with an allergist.
      • Measurement of serum tryptase concentration is recommended to rule out mastocytosis in patients who have had anaphylactic reaction to Hymenoptera venom. The analysis should be carried out in a non-acute phase (for example, 1-2 months after the reaction).
      • Desensitization (allergy to hymenoptera venom)
        • Severe systemic reaction (local reaction and symptoms from the cardiovascular or respiratory systems) to a hymenoptera (wasp or bee) sting is an absolute indication for desensitization.
        • In the case of a mild systemic reaction (local reaction and urticaria or swelling of the mucous membranes), desensitization may be considered if there is a high likelihood of a second bite or fear of it affects the patient’s quality of life.
        • For extensive local reactions, desensitization is not indicated.
        • In patients allergic to hymenoptera venom, desensitization should be continued for 5 years, after which, in almost all (at least 80%), its effectiveness persists for at least 7 years.
        • Knowing that desensitization is likely to prevent anaphylactic reactions improves quality of life.

Lice (Anoplura)

• Blood-sucking species parasitizing in humans: head, clothes and pubic lice.
• Head lice epidemics can occur in schools and kindergartens.
• Body lice are now rare; they appear mainly in alcoholics and persons leading an asocial lifestyle.
• Normal washing of clothes in a washing machine is sufficient for disinfection.
• Pubic lice are commonly sexually transmitted; symptoms: itching and pustules in the genital area, nits in the pubic hair.

Bed bugs and fleas

• Bedbugs live in old, dirty buildings. They can be transported with old furniture. Bed bugs suck blood at night.
• Small insects that parasitize birds, dogs, cats (eg, the Cheyletiella tick) and rodents also bite humans.
  • Symptoms most often appear in the spring (in people working in the poultry house or leaving for country houses for the first time after winter).
  • Bedbug and flea bites cause hard, severely itchy papules with a bite mark (petechiae) in the center. They are most often noted on areas of the skin covered by clothing.
  • Skin manifestations may persist for several days; symptoms develop only in sensitized patients.
  • A blister or extensive swelling may appear immediately at the site of the bite, which is easily confused with erysipelas or other bacterial infection.
  • Papules usually appear in clusters at the site of several bites, but rows of bites are also characteristic.
  • Fleas cause papular urticaria, sometimes seen in children in summer (strofulus). The patient is usually unaware of the cause of the rash, making diagnosis difficult.
  • Sensitization is necessary for the reaction to develop, which is why not all family members have symptoms.
  • Treatment
    • For bedbug and flea bites, it is usually sufficient to use an ointment or solution with a class II – III glucocorticosteroid 1–2 r / day.within 1-2 weeks.
    • Disinsection of bugs in residential buildings requires special knowledge about where they can hide and how to destroy them, and calling a special service.

Larvae

• The hairs of the larvae of some butterflies (for example, the raspberry cocoon moth) can cause toxic and allergic reactions.

Pliers

• Tick Ixodes ricinus is a carrier of Lyme disease, tick-borne encephalitis, rarely tularemia.
• Tick bites are painless and may go undetected.
• In Russia, ticks are active from April to November, and their favorite habitat is lawns, grass, low shrubs and grassy cover in wooded areas.
• Tall boots and trousers are best for protection.
• When entering the mite habitat, every evening it is necessary to inspect the skin and clothing and, if found, remove them.
• For transmission of borrelia from tick to human, the tick must remain in the skin for at least several hours or even days; therefore, it must be found and removed as quickly as possible.
  • The most common symptom of early Lyme disease is erythema annulus (EM), expanding migratory erythema annulus (EM) that appears within a week around the site of a tick bite.
  • Within a few days or weeks, erythema usually reaches 5–10 cm, sometimes much larger, and may disappear spontaneously afterwards.
  • Typically, a 5 cm skin lesion seen within 5 days of a tick bite indicates ME. Faster, smaller responses may be an inflammatory response to components of the tick’s saliva.
  • Lyme disease is always diagnosed based on clinical signs. In the overwhelming majority of cases, the infection is diagnosed at an early stage, while antibody tests are impractical.
  • Laboratory tests (antibodies to borrelia in serum) are necessary for diagnosis at later stages.
  • Tick removal
    • Grasp the tick with tweezers (small, sharp ones) as close to the skin as possible.
    • Try to remove the entire tick simply by slowly pulling it straight up.Do not try to remove it with oil or ointments. If the head of the tick remains in the skin, it can be removed with a needle after disinfecting the skin.

Spiders

• In the Russian Federation there are karakurt, tarantula, etc.
• Spiders usually bite humans only if they accidentally press against the skin.
• The most dangerous spider in Russia is the karakurt. With untimely assistance, its poison can be fatal.Serum administration is necessary. The poison of the South Russian tarantula is not life-threatening, but it can lead to edema, severe pain at the site of the bite, and an allergic reaction. The effect of a water spider bite ( Argyroneta aquatica ) is similar to that of a wasp bite.
• Hunter bites and large spider bites can be painful.
• They are treated like Hymenoptera bites.

Protection against insect bites

• Clothing should cover as much of the body as possible, which is especially important for small children.
• Light-colored clothes with long sleeves and legs are preferable. Mosquitoes, for example, can bite through thin tissue.
• It is recommended to wear a headgear on the head, ankles and feet can be protected with socks and shoes. Legs can be tucked into socks. Closed shoes are preferred over sandals.

Repellents

• Active ingredients of repellents sold in Russia: diethyltoluamide (DEET), icaridin.
• The repellent usually lasts for several hours, but intense sweating will shorten this period.
• The strength and duration of repellents are interdependent, i.e. the stronger the repellent, the longer the duration of its action.
• It is preferred that the concentration of active substance in the mosquito repellent is at least 20%.
• Repellants containing DEET at a concentration of over 35% can be recommended when there are really large numbers of mosquitoes, if the repellant evaporates quickly from the skin, and for people traveling to tick habitats.
• 50% solutions are effective against ticks and 20% are effective against mosquitoes, midges and biting midges when used according to package directions.
• Repellents are not effective against deer bloodsuckers, wasps, bees and bumblebees.

Information provided from source

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90,000 Dangerous insects and their bites

Ticks

Outdoor activities can lead to unpleasant exposure to ticks.It doesn’t matter where we are located: in the yard, in the city park or in the forest. Every year these insects conquer more and more green areas, and cases of infection with borreliosis or encephalitis are increasing.

Tick season lasts as long as warm weather. Fortunately, in our country, most diseases transmitted by ticks are not spread due to the small number of dangerous tick-like species in comparison with other countries. For example, in the United States, Canada and Brazil, more than 600 people are infected with Rocky Mountain spotted fever every year.It is a disease caused by a tick that carries rickettsia bacteria. However, Lyme disease, caused by ticks, can also be contracted in Ukraine.

Tick bites

Ticks are carriers of many infectious diseases, including typhus. As soon as a tick hits our skin, it is able to move around the body, looking for more comfortable places to live. Closed clothing without folds in light shades and insect repellent help prevent tick bites in high-risk areas (in the forest, among the wild).

Tick bites are not immediately detectable. Sometimes there is no inflammation, allergic or toxic reaction on the skin. Infectionists explain this by the fact that by piercing the skin, the tick injects an anesthetic that acts as a pain reliever. For this reason, the bitten person does not feel pain.

Lyme disease

The most dangerous ticks are considered to transmit Lyme disease. Its symptoms are reduced to the appearance of red circles on the skin, headache, skin rash, fatigue, fever.In the absence of treatment, the work of the nervous and cardiovascular systems is disrupted, the joints suffer. In most cases, the disease is successfully treated with antibiotics. The sooner you see a doctor, the less the threat to your health.

Specialists of the ON Clinic network of medical centers advise to develop a useful habit: after relaxing in nature, go to the bathroom and carefully examine all the attractive places for ticks (scalp, face, area behind the ears, armpits, area under the knees, chest , upper and lower limbs).

After each walk, take a shower, wash your clothes thoroughly. If an insect is found, contact a dermatologist or infectious disease doctor. Removing the insect yourself can increase the risk of infection. For example, due to:

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the presence of other infectious diseases or inflammatory processes in the body.

Spider Black Widow

These spiders are also called karakurt – they are the heroes of many films.The most dangerous are the females of these predatory arthropods. Poisonous spiders can bite and pose a threat to human health and life. By nature, they are not aggressive and only bite for self-defense purposes (for example, after being accidentally pressed down). The widow spider is able to move quickly and attack at the most unexpected moment. Karakurt live mostly in the south of Ukraine (Azov region, Black Sea region, Kherson region).

Black Widow Bites

Spider venom can cause pain shock, increased blood pressure, nausea, vomiting and muscle cramps, as well as feelings of fear.Redness forms at the site of the bite. Doctors recommend immediately calling an ambulance and reporting a suspicion of a karakurt bite in order to prevent the possible development of hypertension, bronchorrhea or seizures. Poisonous substances quickly spread throughout the body and can cause irreparable harm to health.

Lice

The favorite place for lice is the hair. You can pick them up using a comb, headdress, scarf of an infected person. If your head starts to itch, don’t ignore it.Ask any family member to check your nape, neck, and behind the ears. If you find parasites, try not to scratch your scalp. The wounds contribute to the rapid penetration of infection into the bloodstream.

How to get rid of lice

To get rid of nits (lice eggs that adults lay on clothes or hair), use lice remedies in accordance with the instructions and as directed by a dermatologist (lotions, shampoos, creams). During the treatment of head lice, you need to keep your clothes, underwear, bedding, and hygiene items clean.For those who are not infected, it is important to be careful when dealing with infected people and to take preventive measures:

• follow the rules of personal hygiene;
• use only your own things and do not give them to the infected person for temporary use;
• Vacuum blankets, pillows, carpets and change bedding daily.

Fleas

Fleas can annoy not only pets, but also people. They bite painfully, resulting in itchy blisters.Sometimes a person may experience an allergic reaction: swelling and even purulent inflammation on the skin.

Flea bites

You need to start getting rid of parasitic organisms by purchasing protective equipment for animals. Disinfectants will help reduce the discomfort after a bite in a person. Dermatologists advise treating bite sites with disinfectant solutions or ointments purchased from a pharmacy, specialized medical institutions.

To prevent re-infection, take care of the sterility of the pet’s habitat, keep track of his social circle on walks.First of all, prohibit contact with stray animals.

Bee, wasp, hornet

In case of bee stings, it is important to quickly remove the sting. But a wasp or hornet can inflict two or more bites at once – they do not lose their sting at the first bite, so their attack is more dangerous. As a rule, redness and swelling appear at the site of the bite. And only after a while, side effects can occur: nausea, headache, weakness.

Treatment of a sting of a bee, wasp, hornet

If there is no allergic reaction, it is enough to pull out the sting (if any), and treat the bite with an antiseptic and apply cold.If you experience an atypical reaction or if you are bitten in the face, larynx, tongue, genitals, seek immediate medical attention. If you ignore what happened, anaphylactic reactions of varying severity can occur, which can even lead to death.

Scabies

Sarcoptes scabei (Scabies itch) can be contracted through direct contact with an infected person or using common hygiene products.The incubation period for infection is from several hours to 1-2 weeks. The bite of the parasite causes severe itching on the skin, often worsening towards night.

Treatment of scabies

A dermatologist will help get rid of scabies after examining the patient and making a diagnosis. It is advisable to wash the patient’s clothes in hot water, to keep the bedding sterile. At the doctor’s discretion, the patient is prescribed antihistamines to relieve itching. The method of treatment is aimed at destroying the pathogen by using drugs with acaricidal action.These are drugs aimed at fighting ticks (acaricides are ticks: ancient Greek ἄκαρι – tick and Latin caedo – I kill).

Bed bugs

Bed bugs can be found in bed linen in hotels. They can even settle in your luggage or on your pet’s belongings. They become most active at night.

On average, the life span of these bloodsucking is about a year. They can be easily confused with other small insects and can often be identified by small red blood stains on your bed linen in the morning.After quenching their thirst, they become clumsy, move slowly, and therefore during sleep it is easy to crush them with the weight of their body.

Bedbug bites

Red bites on the arms or shoulders are bug marks. In no case should you comb them (you can make an infection). An effective antihistamine can be used as directed by a dermatologist.

Contaminated bed linen, decor items, toys or other furniture must be thoroughly treated to prevent re-infection.This can be done in dry cleaning, using heat treatment or special means. Be sure to ensure the cleanliness of things in the house, refuse to use other people’s bedding and towels.

Flies

Flies live everywhere and carry such dangerous diseases as pneumonia and intestinal infections. During epidemics, they are able to carry pathogens over long distances, increasing the focus of infection.

Fly bites are painful and cause redness.The bitten place must be immediately treated with an antiseptic solution, and also not to eat the food and drinks on which representatives of the Diptera family have landed. Flies, like midges, like to settle near garbage cans and dead animals.

Mosquitoes

You must always be saved from mosquitoes, because they are carriers of malaria and other diseases. Mosquito repellents, protective clothing, gazebo window screens and scented sticks are suitable for this.When using skin sprays or creams, be sure to do an allergy test. If available, it is better to select a remedy with your doctor.

As observations show, some people who are in the same place where mosquitoes gather, bite with different strength and frequency. This can be explained by the fact that each insect perceives the smell of a person differently: for him it is more or less attractive. This is tantamount to susceptibility to bites: some have a strong reaction, others weaker.And this depends on the toxicity of the saliva composition of the mosquito that inflicted the “blow”.

Cockroaches

You can meet these six-legged companions not only outside the house, but also within it. They can go without food for a long time, can damage the integrity of food, leather goods, books. Cockroaches are omnivorous and can feed on garbage or feces. Many of them move through the sewer, garbage chute or attic. Therefore, their lifestyle can negatively affect any person: they threaten gastroenteritis, dysentery or diarrhea.

Certain species of cockroaches, for example, yellow cockroaches, can bite (in the neck, bends of the limbs). As a result, a wound with a small crust appears, which can become inflamed. Cockroaches carry many pathogenic microorganisms on their legs and abdomen. When combing the blister, they can get inside and parasitize in the human body. Cockroach bites must be treated with an antiseptic.

Make an appointment with a dermatologist at the ON Clinic network of medical centers in your city if you are bitten by an insect.An experienced doctor will help you effectively and quickly deal with the consequences of any bite.

Enjoy the summer, but be careful and careful!

Mariupolskiy Medical Fakhovy College – ATTENTION !!! Insect bites: 12 types and what to do with each of them.

In the summer, when people go out of town with their families, to summer cottages or picnics near the lake, the risk of getting unwanted bites from various insects increases.
Some pass quickly, and with particularly severe bites, you should immediately seek medical attention.We suggest reading about the 12 most common bites that you may experience while outing in the city or abroad on an exotic vacation.

12 types of bites of various insects

1. Tick
The forest tick is the most dangerous for humans, as it is a carrier of dangerous diseases. The oral apparatus of the parasite is designed in such a way that it makes it possible to deeply and firmly adhere to the skin. At the same time, a person will not experience pain and may find a tick on his body even after a few days.It may turn out that the tick bit you and fell off. Then at the site of the bite there will be a red spot with a circle of several centimeters, and in the center there will be a black or red dot. In this case, you should immediately consult a doctor.
What to do at home with a tick bite? When there is no way to get to the hospital, the tick can be removed at home. There are several ways:
With a thread. A loop is placed on the base of the tick’s body and gently pulled, loosening from side to side.
The second method is tweezers.Here it is important to ensure that there is no rupture of the calf. There are special devices for removing ticks, they are a special clip, you can purchase it at any pharmacy. Lubricate the bite site with an antiseptic, any.

2. Mosquito
Visually, mosquito bites look on the skin as pink papules with circular outlines, drops. If the bite is combed, it will turn red because the mosquito’s saliva will enter the surrounding tissues, which will intensify the reaction. There are cases when an allergic reaction with edema appears at the site of the bite.
We treat mosquito bites
Black elderberry and plantain leaves. After meeting with a mosquito, it is best to wipe this area with a mashed leaf of black elderberry or plantain. The leaves will help to quickly relieve swelling and disinfect the bite site.
Ammonia. To relieve redness from a mosquito bite and itching, treat the skin with a cotton swab dipped in diluted ammonia (a tablespoon of alcohol to 3 tablespoons of water) or in a solution of baking soda (a teaspoon of baking soda in a glass of water).
Attention!
Menovazine. In order to relieve itching, swelling and irritation, lubricate the sore spot with alcohol tincture of menovazin. This is a very effective remedy – no worse than the advertised expensive imported gels.
Garlic. It has been used for a long time from a mosquito bite. It has already become a traditional folk remedy. Crush a clove of fresh garlic in a garlic maker and dilute the resulting gruel with a little water. Soak a piece of cloth in the solution and apply to the bite site. Garlic will quickly relieve pain and itching, prevent the occurrence of edema.
Soda. Add a small amount of water to a teaspoon of baking soda to make a thick mass. Make a small cake out of it and attach it to the sore spot. Wrap a wet cloth over the top. Change the cake after three hours.
You can also dilute it harder with water and often lubricate mosquito bites with this soda solution.
Salt. Mosquito bite blisters will quickly disappear if you rub them with fine table salt. Just rub the skin gently to avoid damage.
Laundry soap.Helps reduce itching and redness by lubricating the bite site with a very thick solution of the darkest laundry soap.

3. Wasp
Wasp sting is very painful. A burning sensation is felt in its place, it swells and turns red. Occasionally, a wasp sting will cause headaches, fever, and a rash all over the body.
We treat stings of wasps, bees and hornets
Garlic juice. If you or your child has been bitten by a flying striped bandit, the first step is to remove the sting from the wound. Then lubricate the skin with fresh garlic juice or garlic gruel.
If it was not possible to get the sting, the wound began to fester and inflammation appeared, mix the garlic gruel with honey in equal parts, lubricate the wound, apply a bandage. The procedure must be repeated 2 times a day.
Cabbage and burdock leaves. An effective folk remedy for treating insect bites is a cabbage leaf. Cut off the thickened part of it and lower the sheet in boiling water for just one minute so that it warms up and becomes softer. Then attach it to the bite.
For greater effect, brush one side of the leaf with honey and place this side on the sore spot.Wrap the compress with a bandage, and wrap it with a warm bandage on top. You need to keep the compress all night. By morning, the pain will be gone. If swelling and lump persists, repeat the procedure.
As a rule, two procedures are enough for pus to come out of the bite and edema subsides. You can use burdock instead of a cabbage leaf. Its medicinal properties are no less effective.
Parsley and potato juice. To relieve itching, you can also brush the bite site with parsley juice or attach a slice of raw potatoes.
Basil.Sometimes the itching from multiple bites is so intense that it comes down to bloody scratching. A decoction of the medicinal herb basil will help to quickly solve this problem.
Tip! To do this, boil 2 tablespoons of basil for five minutes in half a liter of water. Leave to cool and drink half a glass 3 times a day. Lubricate the bites with the same infusion and add to the bath when bathing.
Mint. Rub fresh mint leaves to pulp and lubricate the skin. You can fill a piece of gauze with grass, tie it in a knot, boil in a liter of water for 5 minutes.Then squeeze the knot, and lubricate the bites with the broth or apply a gauze knot to them.
As you can see, the people have enough remedies to treat insect bites. And they, as practice shows, are much more effective than the advertised “miracle” balms. And much cheaper! So the choice is yours.
Well, finally, we will give you some tips on how to avoid the attack of small pests:
When going out into nature, give preference to light-colored clothing.
Try not to use perfume, aftershave or any other fragrances so that the bee does not confuse you with a flower.
Consult a doctor and, if necessary, increase your zinc intake. Insects are attracted to people who are deficient in zinc.
Apply petroleum jelly to naked body areas before going outside.

4. Bee
Having stung, the bee dies. This is because, along with the sting, she leaves her digestive tract. Therefore, it is quite easy to recognize a bee sting. It is necessary to urgently remove the sting so that the poison does not enter the bloodstream. Bee sting is the second most common cause of anaphylaxis.If you have shortness of breath, decreased pressure, or breathing problems, call an ambulance.
First aid measures
Most often, adults are aware of how their body reacts to a bee sting. With a child, the situation has an unknown outcome. In any case, the initial action must be done quickly. The degree of spread of poisonous substances through the blood of the victim depends on this.
Get rid of the sting immediately. It is better to do this with sterile tweezers or with clean, disinfected hands.It is important that no residue remains under the skin. Otherwise, and if dirt gets into the wound, inflammation is inevitable.
Soak a clean cloth or gauze with ammonia or ethyl alcohol, vinegar, a solution of soda or potassium permanganate. Apply to the wound. Keep as long as possible, repetition is possible. This minimizes pain, disinfects and slows down the development of puffiness.
You can wash the damaged area of ​​the body with soap (72% is better) and apply ice.

5.Hornet
The insect pierces the skin like a bee, however, the sting does not leave in the wound. The bite site swells, turns red, and sharp pain appears. Among the symptoms of a hornet bite: rapid pulse, nausea, vomiting, cold extremities, bluish tinge of the lips, ears and neck. Loss of consciousness is not excluded. Young children and adults with weakened immune systems are very painful to tolerate a hornet bite. If symptoms appear, you should immediately consult a doctor.
First aid
In the event of a hornet bite, it is necessary to carry out a number of measures that will help get rid of the negative consequences.For example:
Take the victim away from the place where the hornet carried out the attack, sit in a comfortable position, unfasten the collar and loosen the belt.
The hornet does not leave a sting, so you should not look for it.
If a hornet is killed during a bite, fragments of the sting may remain in the wound. In this case, it must be carefully removed in the most accessible way, disinfecting both the instrument and the wound itself.
The affected area should be treated with an antibacterial agent, such as a slightly pink solution of potassium permanganate.
Wipe the bite site with any alcohol-based solution. This can be vodka, moonshine, cologne, eau de toilette, or rubbing alcohol.
After that, ice or something cold is applied to the bite site.
The victim should drink an antihistamine to avoid allergic reactions.
In case of a severe allergic reaction, immediately take the victim to a hospital or call an ambulance.
How to properly handle the bite site:
All movements should be clear, but light, without pressure on the bite site.
The treatment agent should be applied gently with light strokes.
In no case should the poison be squeezed out, since it is no longer at the bite point.
Hands should be thoroughly washed with soap and water before handling to avoid infecting the wound.
What to do not allow:
Press on the bite site.
Rub the affected area.
Cauterize the wound.
Warm up the swollen area.
Treat with iodine or brilliant green.
Traditional medicine
As a rule, traditional medicine uses natural, natural ingredients, mainly.When people go on vacation, to nature, they can take pills with them for diarrhea or for fast digestion of food, but not from the bites of various insects, although if you are extremely careful, you can hardly feel the stings of bees, wasps or hornets, God forbid. But in nature, some plants that are always at hand will help to overcome the effects of bites. If the hornet is bitten at home, then you can also use traditional medicine.
The following plants will be able to stop the spread of swelling and redness:
Aloe juice or pulp.
Plantain juice or leaf.
Chopped parsley (greens).
Method of preparation:
The bite site is washed with clean water.
After that, a plantain leaf, plantain juice or aloe or chopped parsley gruel is applied to the bite site.
Before doing this, the greens must be thoroughly washed.
After applying the product, cover the bite site with a clean piece of cloth, gauze or bandage. Every 20 minutes it is necessary to change the compress or apply the plant sap again.
Note! In any case, you will need an allergy pill. If this happened in nature and no one had an allergy pill, and the victim is bad enough, then he will quickly have to be taken to a nearby hospital or try to call an “ambulance”. Therefore, when going out of town for a picnic, you must always take antihistamines with you, as well as disinfecting liquids.

6. Flea
The bites of these insects are most often observed on the legs. The flea may bite repeatedly.The bites appear as small red dots. If you comb them, they heal for a long time, and dark spots remain for a long time at the site of the bites.
Flea Bite Recognition
Two punctures will be visible in the center of the bite to help distinguish it from other insects. This also suggests that in this case, the person is not dealing with an allergic reaction. A person feels the defeat of fleas immediately, since they cause pain. This is due to the fact that the parasite does not inject an anesthetic into the wound, but injects an enzyme that prevents blood from clotting.This enzyme causes itching and swelling.
First aid
The first unpleasant symptom of a flea infestation is severe itching, which affects both children and adults. Therefore, flea bites on a person are treated primarily with means for disinfecting wounds, relieving pain, swelling and itching.
First, the affected area is washed with soapy water, rinsed and wiped dry, then an antiseptic is applied (brilliant green, iodine, alcohol, etc.). In this case, hot water is not recommended, as this will cause severe itching.
To remove edema, the wound is wiped with vinegar diluted with water in a 1: 1 ratio or citric acid solution.

7. Ant
When bitten by an insect, it releases a toxin that causes an allergic reaction. The affected areas are visually similar to flea bites, but the sting of an ant causes instant sharp pain. It is necessary to prevent wound infection and soothe itchy skin.
What to do with an ant bite?
Wash area with soapy water.
Apply ice for 10-15 minutes.
Lubricate with antiseptic (preferably 70% alcohol or vodka).
In case of severe itching and redness, you can use pharmacy remedies for ant bites (balms or ointments):
“Golden Star”;
“Vitaon”;
“Fenistil gel”;
Advantan.
When traveling to a risk area, add an anti-anaphylactic bag to the first aid kit. Ant bites in children are no more dangerous than in adults. It is difficult to persuade the baby not to comb the damaged area, so use pharmacy ointments or folk remedies to relieve itching.If the child does scratch the area, cover it with a bandage or a breathable germicidal adhesive tape.
Treating ant bites with folk remedies
Mix baking soda with water until gruel and apply to the affected area.
Wipe with ammonia diluted with water in a 1: 1 ratio.
Brush with mint toothpaste.
Place a lotion of milk or milk ice for 10 minutes.
Crush an activated charcoal tablet, drip a little water, put the resulting paste on the bite site and cover with foil.
Apply a lotion with echinacea tincture, take a few drops orally to relieve an allergic reaction.
Wipe the area with a cut onion or brush with onion juice.
How to treat an ant bite with improvised means? Aloe juice, gruel from parsley or plantain leaves, a piece of raw potatoes will help. By applying them, you can relieve swelling and redness, reduce itching and pain.

8. Lice
Most often, insects live on the head, but there are species that are located on other hairy parts of the body.The bite causes severe itching and leaves a small red dot.
First aid for bites
The peculiarity of lice is that even after the removal of parasites, itching may persist for some time, which leads to nervous disorders, insomnia.
For the treatment of itching, folk methods and pharmaceutical preparations are used.
The bite site is treated with soap and washed off with warm water.
The affected areas are smeared with vodka or alcohol diluted with water 1: 1. Thus, the bites are disinfected and the infection does not penetrate into the deep layers of the dermis.
One of the ointments, Fenistil or Psilo-balm, is used specifically to relieve itching, including that caused by insect bites.
The agent is applied to itchy areas 2-4 times a day. According to the doctor’s prescription, local treatment can be combined with the intake of antihistamines by mouth.
If the itching is not relieved by these methods, then the patient will need hospitalization. Antiallergic drugs in this case are administered by intravenous infusion.

9.Horsefly
The bite leaves a noticeable mark with swelling around it. There is a hot sensation at the site of the edema. The bite causes itching, dizziness, infection is possible.
How can I help someone who has been bitten by a horsefly?
First aid and further treatment are necessary to relieve unpleasant symptoms and heal the bite faster. The first measures are as follows:
In order to prevent the gadfly saliva from expanding its effect, the bitten area must be pressed down with your finger.
Apply ice to relieve itching.
The bite is important to wash with soap and water. To do this, the water must be cool, because warm can intensify the itching and burning. It is better to take soap without cosmetic additives.
Lubricate the bitten area with alcohol or hydrogen peroxide. After that, you can apply iodine or brilliant green. Disinfecting the wound is very important in order to prevent inflammation from developing and to avoid infection.
Horsefly bite can be treated at home. It rarely happens that the victim needs to be hospitalized.Medical intervention is necessary if many bites have been inflicted or a person has developed severe allergic manifestations.
Traditional and home therapies are suitable to speed up the healing process. To do this, you can always use those tools that are at hand. Treat insect bites in the following ways:
A dressing with baking soda or boric acid will help relieve itching.
Plantain gruel is also effective in relieving itching. In order to prepare raw materials, you need to pluck the leaves of the plantain, rinse and grind until gruel is formed.
Then the resulting product is applied to the bite site, fixing with a bandage. If there is no fresh plantain nearby, you can use dried one. Before rubbing, it is soaked in water.
Plantain juice is an equally good way. They are impregnated with a sterile napkin and attached to the bitten area.
Dandelion helps with the gadfly bite with its juice, which needs to be lubricated by splitting the stem of the plant.
Onion juice is obtained by finely chopping an onion. It can also help alleviate the suffering of the patient.
The juice of fresh wormwood helps to relieve pain and eliminate puffiness.
In addition to these available remedies, mint, aloe juice, millennial, black nightshade, parsley, lemon juice, sour cream, potato gruel, propolis or calendula tincture, garlic gruel can help relieve the symptoms of a bite.

10. Bug
Bites are massive, densely located next to each other and grouped. Bed bugs bite, as it were, in one line. The number of bites of one bug is from 3 to 5 punctures of the skin with redness at intervals of 2-4 centimeters.
How and with what to treat?
In order to get rid of itching and damage to the skin, you can use both folk remedies and specialized medical creams or ointments. How to treat bed bug bites? First you need to rinse the affected area with cool water and soap or soda solution. This will relieve the itching a little. After that, you can attach an ice cube, rub the skin with parsley or potato juice. Next, we will tell you what medicines can be used for bedbug bites?
Attention! Ammonia, ointment from bug bites “Fenistil” or cream “Rescuer” helps well.The last two remedies for bedbug bites will also act as anti-allergens.
How to get rid of itching?
It is best to anoint damaged areas with Afloderm ointment or Zvezdochka balm. In case of a severe allergic reaction, you can use antihistamines – “Diazolin”, “Diphenhydramine”, “Suprastin”, “Tavegil”. However, it is best to consult a specialist doctor before using them.
Bedbug bites on humans – treatment with folk remedies:
Treat with mint leaves;
Attachment of softened dandelion stem;
Lubrication of damaged areas with garlic juice, which relieves irritation and swelling;
Use of plantain or bird cherry leaves;
Attachment of the cut onion; Lubrication with aloe juice.

11. Fly
The bite leaves a red spot and is unusually painful. The insect can carry a disease called rabbit fever. Symptoms: skin ulcers, fever, headache.
To reduce unpleasant manifestations, as well as the risk of infection after being bitten by an autumn flare fly or horsefly, several simple emergency measures should be taken:
Washing the wound with plenty of clean running water.
Treatment with antiseptic solutions – you can use hydrogen peroxide, chlorhexidine, brilliant green.
Reducing the severity of the inflammatory reaction using a special insect bite remedy (Gardeks balm) or anti-inflammatory medicines for local external use (Locoid ointment, Disinfection of a wound after a fly bite with Fenistil hydrogen peroxide).
Fight against possible allergic reactions with antihistamines, which include Loratadin, Diazolin, Suprastin.

12. Spider
Dwells only in certain areas. Its bite can only be felt after 6 hours, when pain occurs.
First aid for bites
When spiders bite adults or children, severe intoxication of the body develops, so you need to quickly provide first aid to the victim. If a person managed to see a jointed one and determine its belonging to a poisonous species, then medical intervention will be required. You should call the ambulance team, and only then try to alleviate the condition of the victim.
The following measures will help prevent the spread of poison in the body:
the area of ​​the bite must be thoroughly rinsed under running cool water using laundry soap;
if a limb is injured, it should be immobilized to prevent the penetration of poison into the subcutaneous tissue and healthy tissue;
the bite site must be treated with solutions with antiseptic and antimicrobial activity – hydrogen peroxide, chlorhexidine bigluconate, iodine, brilliant green, ethyl alcohol, Miramistin, Furacilin;
You can localize the area of ​​distribution of toxins by pulling an arm or leg (without disturbing blood circulation!) With an elastic bandage slightly above the bite area;
on the reddened area of ​​the skin, apply a cold compress in the form of pieces of ice wrapped in a dense cloth.
If unconsciousness occurs, help with a spider bite is to monitor the victim until the ambulance arrives. It is necessary to turn the person on its side and make sure that he does not choke on vomit.

Bites of insects – ticks, mosquitoes and midges, horseflies, fleas – what symptoms are observed in a person at the site of the bite, how the general reaction of the body after a bite is manifested, preventive measures and first aid.

With the onset of warm spring days, various insects become active.Some of them, when colliding with a person, bite him for self-defense or in search of food (blood-sucking insects), therefore, it is necessary to observe preventive measures , carefully examine the bite site , monitor the body’s reaction and be able to provide first aid for bites .

The reaction to a bite depends on the type of insect and the sensitivity of the person . Flea, tick and mosquito bites usually cause itching. An insect sting almost always causes severe pain.Depending on the type of insect, the body’s reaction to its bite can range from mild irritation to serious illness.

In the bite site , an infection can develop in the form of redness, skin tightening, a local increase in temperature, and the discharge of pus from the wound. Scratching the bite site can also lead to skin infection. This is especially common in children who comb the wound without thinking about the consequences.

Insect bites usually cause a slight itchy bump on the skin.Sometimes the bite itself can be seen as a tiny dot. Sometimes inflammation develops around the area of ​​the bite.

Insect bites usually resolve on their own without medical attention within a few days. Unlike stings, they rarely develop an allergic reaction.

But if you suddenly feel very severe itching, shortness of breath and wheezing, chest pain, weakness or dizziness, heart palpitations, a rash appeared and began to spread rapidly on the body, swelling appeared, including of the tongue and lips, then you should immediately contact for medical help.With the development of a severe allergic reaction, the count goes on for minutes.

With a repeated insect bite that previously caused an allergy, a more severe reaction may develop due to the increased sensitivity to saliva of this insect species.

With prolonged contact with insects, for example during a multi-day hiking trip, most people become immune to insect saliva and tolerate their bites much more easily.

Most often in our strip we meet with mosquitoes, flies (horseflies), midges, ticks.Next, we will tell you in detail about the bites of each of the listed insects.

Tick bites

tick bites usually resolve within three weeks. If parts of the insect’s mouth or head remain in the skin, which is often the case with unsuccessful extraction, symptoms of inflammation may persist. Ticks are commonly found in tall grass, even within city limits.

Tick ​​bites are usually painless, but swelling may develop at the site of the bite.It is worth remembering that ticks can cause Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, babesiosis, tick-borne encephalitis and other diseases that can lead to serious health problems. In our strip, vaccination against tick-borne encephalitis will not be superfluous.

If you see a sucked tick on your skin, remove it immediately. Grab it as close to the skin as possible with tweezers or a tick remover and gently pull it straight up so that no parts are left in the skin.After removing the tick, wash your hands and bite area with soap and water and apply an antiseptic. We recommend that after removing the tick, place it in a hermetically sealed container and take it to the appropriate laboratory, where you will find out if it was a carrier of dangerous infections (borreliosis, encephalitis). This research is chargeable.

If you feel unwell some time after tick bite (rash, muscle aches, fever, swelling of the groin and axillary lymph nodes), see your doctor to diagnose and treat Lyme disease.

Bites mosquitoes and midges

Bites Mosquitoes and midges usually cause small, itchy blisters 2 to 5 mm in diameter, but sometimes larger. The spot itches a lot, but does not hurt, the middle seems whitish with a red border. People with sensitive skin may develop fluid-filled blisters. In our region, mosquitoes are not carriers of dangerous diseases. The bite site of the midge is distinguished by a large (up to 3 cm) red spot with a lighter area in the middle, rising above the skin surface.Sometimes we see an erythema annular spot at the site of the bite (red middle, white ring around, surrounded by a reddened area of ​​skin with blurred edges).

Flea bites

Flea bite is characterized by sharp pain. This is due to the fact that, compared to other parasites, fleas do not secrete a special substance that acts as a pain reliever during a bite. On the site of the bite , a slight swelling appears and unbearable itching is felt.Scratching the wound results in a drop of blood. This is due to the fact that the insect secretes a substance into the wound that prevents blood clotting.

Common sources of fleas are pets, populous communities with low hygiene standards, and bird nests. Moving to a new home that has been empty for a while can activate sleeping fleas.

Fleas can transmit diseases such as typhus and plague. Currently, no outbreaks of such diseases have been registered in Russia.

Horsefly bites

Horsefly bite can be very painful. It heals for a long time, because horsefly, when bitten, cuts the skin with its jaws. A drop of blood appears at the site of the bite. For some time, severe itching and swelling of the skin around the wound persists.

Help with insect bites

Usually the manifestations of insect bites go away on their own.In case of prolonged healing, accession of an infection, the occurrence of an allergic reaction, it is necessary to consult a doctor.

You can independently provide first aid by cooling the bite site with a cold compress to reduce discomfort. Traditional medicine recommends applying a gruel of soda moistened with water to the site of the bite to reduce discomfort. In pharmacies you can buy such products as Nezulin cream-gel, Gardex after insect bites balm, ExpressBite and others.

Prevention of insect bites

To prevent insect bites, use the following prevention measures :

• mechanical barriers in the form of protective screens for open windows and mosquito nets in the open air;

• when driving through woods and grassy areas, periodically inspect yourself and each other for ticks. The mite does not stick immediately, but for some time selects a suitable area of ​​the skin;

• when going out of town, avoid bright clothes and strong-smelling cosmetics;

• do not leave open containers with food and drinks, they attract flies and stinging insects;

• wear closed light clothing with long sleeves and long trousers, tuck them into boots or socks, wear a headdress;

• when you are out of town, use repellents in a wide variety offered in pharmacies and supermarkets.Please be aware that some are intended to be applied only to clothing and may cause toxic reactions when applied to the skin. Read the instructions and accompanying documents for repellents carefully, especially if you are choosing them for children. Many of them have age restrictions.

We also recommend that you familiarize yourself with the article “Stinging wasps, bees and hornets, first aid and prevention”

90,000 Allergic to red meat? Now we know what it is from

• Bianca Nogrady
• BBC Future

April 8, 2016

Photo author, Getty

As a rule, a bite of a blood-sucking tick Ixodes holocyclus, or paralyzing tick not dangerous to humans.But in some cases, it can cause a dangerous allergic reaction to red meat, columnist warns.

BBC Future.

In the height of summer, the humid air of Sydney’s bushy northern beaches is filled with the chirping of cicadas, the harsh cry of rosella parrots and the delicious smell of barbecuing.

But a tiny creature hiding in a dense bush can forever exclude sausages, steaks and other meat dishes from the menu of local residents.

For meat-loving Australians, this prospect is unbearable, but the alternative is a severe allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis, in which the airways are narrowed, blood pressure drops and, in some cases, death can occur.

More than 800 people have developed a dangerous and extremely rare allergy to mammalian meat due to the bites of the Ixodes holocyclus tick in the northern beaches of Sydney.

In common parlance, Ixodes holocyclus is known as a paralyzing tick, as its bite is often fatal to pets.

Most people have no pronounced discomfort from the bite of this arachnid.

But in certain cases, the combination of the tick’s own proteins, injected with saliva, and a certain organic compound found in mammalian meat, triggers a potentially life-threatening allergic reaction.

Cases have also been reported on the east coast of Australia, in parts of the United States and in Europe, but Sydney has had the dubious honor of being the hotbed of this epidemic.

Photo Credit, Getty

Photo Caption,

Red Meat Allergy – An Unbearable Prospect for Sydney Barbecuers

The story of the connection between Ixodes holocyclus bite and meat allergy sounds like a scientific detective. Even the main character of the story, Sydney allergist Cheryl van Noonen, admits that he has something of a Hollywood movie script.

Van Nunen encountered the first patient complaining of the above symptoms more than 20 years ago. This was an isolated case, and it could have gone unnoticed if it were not for the unusual nature of the disease – allergy to mammalian meat is extremely rare in humans.

Then, in the early 2000s, several more patients with red meat intolerances were admitted to the Royal North Coast Hospital where Van Nunen worked – all telling the same story.

“They ate dinner and went to bed, then woke up in the middle of the night with a terrible attack of anaphylaxis – or the reaction manifested itself half an hour after eating. Patients could not understand what was happening to them,” says Van Nunen.

The symptoms were the same regardless of whether they consumed beef, lamb, kangaroo meat, venison or buffalo before the attack.

As befits any allergist, Van Nunen wrote down the story of each patient in detail – and noticed that all cases have one thing in common: at some point before the attack, the patients developed a pronounced local reaction to the tick bite.

Most people develop a tiny, itchy, red bump at the site of the bite, but Van Noonen’s patients developed a large, hard edema about 10-15 cm in diameter surrounded by an even larger area of ​​red rash.

Photo author, Science Photo Library

Photo caption,

A tick bite from Ixodes holocyclus under certain conditions can cause a life-threatening allergy

Over the next several years, according to Van Nunen, the hospital was swept by a wave of requests from people living in the northern Sydney beaches – in all cases, patients complained of symptoms such as hives (allergic rashes) and indigestion after eating red meat.

And each of them had a strong reaction to the Ixodes holocyclus bite in the past.

“It has come to the point that now, if a patient lives in Beacon Hill (northern suburb of Sydney) or even further north, while complaining of an anaphylactic reaction and cannot accurately understand its cause, first of all I ask the question of whether how they react to a tick bite, “says Van Nunen.

However, not all people bitten by an ixodid tick are subsequently allergic to mammalian meat.Why?

Ticks are notorious for their ability to cause life-threatening allergic reactions to the proteins in their saliva.

Australia has a particularly large number of people who are severely allergic to tick bites, perhaps in part because its jaws are longer than those of other similar arachnids. But allergy to meat has baffled allergists.

At first, Van Nanen thought that the tick’s saliva might contain remnants of the blood of a previous victim it bitten – possibly a bandicoot protein (a marsupial rat), which the human immune system can mistake for a tick protein and react accordingly.

Photo author, Science Photo Library

Photo caption,

American scientists have found that a tick bite also causes cancer patients to be allergic to a medicine.

But ultimately the mystery was solved on the other side of the world.

A group of American doctors are faced with an unexplained outbreak of severe allergic reactions to a drug used in the treatment of colon cancer.

In 2007, it was reported that nearly one in four patients in Tennessee and North Carolina treated with Cetuximab experienced severe allergic symptoms, while less than one in 100 patients nationwide had such symptoms. …

After a long study of the problem, scientists managed to find the culprit – it turned out to be galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose. This monosaccharide is present in the body of all mammals with the exception of primates (and, accordingly, with the exception of humans).

Since Cetuximab was developed using a cell line (sequence) of mice, it also contained alpha-galactose, and it was to this that the patients’ bodies reacted so hard.

When American researchers learned about Australian cases of tick bite allergy to mammalian meat, they had a complete picture of what was happening.

In Tennessee and North Carolina, the Amblyomma americanum tick is found, also from the ixodid family. As it turned out, the habitat of this tick exactly coincides with the geography of the distribution of recorded allergic reactions to Cetuximab.

What makes our story particularly exciting is the fact that this is the only case in which the triggering factor for allergy development has been accurately identified.

For example, scientists do not know why a person is allergic to cats, peanuts or eggs.The only thing we know is that at some point in the past, a combination of factors caused the immune system to respond to these allergens, which most people do not have.

But in the case of an allergy to mammalian meat that develops after a tick bite, everything is very clear.

“We have a complete dataset,” says Van Nunen. “The trigger that alters the human immune system is a tick.”

Now the researchers have to find out why the allergy develops in people who have been bitten by an ixodid tick only once, while those who have been bitten by ticks repeatedly are not susceptible to the disease.

In reality, everything is not so scary, especially for those meat lovers who live in areas where ixodid ticks are spread or are going on a trip to those parts.

Photo author, Science Photo Library

Photo caption,

When squeezed, the tick releases an additional portion of saliva and stomach contents into the bite site, so the sucked insect is best removed by freezing

The development of an allergy to a tick bite, as well as an allergy to mammalian meat , can be prevented by avoiding the actual bite.

Part of Van Nunen’s scientific work in recent years has been the development of educational materials that tell the public about how to safely remove adhering ticks in order to minimize the possibility of developing an allergic reaction.

The most important thing is not to crush the tick, but to freeze it.

When the tick’s body is squeezed with tweezers or when it is scraped off the skin, it releases an additional portion of saliva and the contents of its own stomach into the bite site, which increases the likelihood of developing an allergic reaction.

Instead, experts recommend sprinkling the tick with an ether-based aerosol, which is used to treat warts and is sold in pharmacies.

Freeze the tick in this way – it will die instantly and fall off the bite without harming you.

Van Noonen, an avid meat-eater who does not want to risk his habit, takes personal safety measures every time he visits Sydney’s northern beaches.

She puts on special protective clothing and sprays herself with repellent.

But at the same time, Van Nunen admits that he feels a kind of sympathy for the female ixodid tick – namely, the bite of the female causes an allergic reaction in humans.

“For me, she is just a mother, a tiny living creature trying to raise offspring, protect them from the cruel world and give them a chance for a happy life,” says the allergist. “It just so happens that she can cause trouble for a person.”

Tick bite, borreliosis

Is sick leave given for the treatment of borreliosis?
Hello! Is a sick leave given in the treatment of borreliosis.Today they said that the tick is borreliosis, tomorrow I will go to the doctor.

Where can a child be tested for borreliosis 2 years after the bite?
Where to make a qualitative analysis for borreliosis disease for an 8-year-old child? Two years ago he was bitten by a tick.

What to do if a red spot is found after a tick bite?
I live in Moldova. I was bitten by a tick on August 3rd. 8 I was with an infectious disease specialist. The spot is very red, oval, about 10 cm.There were no signs of t, fever and other signs that they describe. 8.08 I started taking Dexocid 2 tablets a day. 5 days 10 tablets. 18.08 passed the analysis. Jgm pozitiv JgG negativ a slight pink spot remained – around the bite after a while there was a white spot with a red border. What should I do? I poorly understood, but the analysis of such a Jgm Poz> 0.497 neg <0.406 units of measurement q0.216 = 1.894, and jgG poz> 0.246neg <0.201 units of measurement q0216 = 0.036. I am 66.5 years old.Yours faithfully Vera Vladimirovna. What should I do?

What is the chance of contracting borreliosis through a finger bite?
I was recently bitten by a child on the finger (with damage to the skin). Later, he was diagnosed with antibodies to tick-borne borreliosis, what is the likelihood of my contracting borreliosis? Thanks

How to cure chronic borreliosis?

Diagnosed with chronic borreliosis. The antibiotic treatment has passed, and there is no improvement.It gets worse every day. What can be done?

Will chronic borreliosis affect offspring?
Good evening, please tell me if I have chronic borreliosis, is there a threat to the fetus from my wife ???

Could nasal congestion, redness of the throat, and enlarged lymph nodes indicate that tick-borne encephalitis is not well treated?
Hello. On May 30, my son (3 years old) was bitten by a tick. On June 21, we were already hospitalized, the diagnosis was tick-borne encephalitis, meningeal form, a two-wave course.Discharged on July 10. At discharge, the test result of antibodies to tick-borne encephalitis (ELISA) IgM 1: 1 600, IgG 1: 800. The test result from August 1 IgM is negative, IgG 1: 6 400. Currently, the state is satisfactory: active, good appetite, good sleep, the neurologist does not observe developmental disorders. However, I am concerned that for 2 months the child has been experiencing nasal congestion, a slight reddening of the throat and enlarged lymph nodes in the neck. Could these symptoms indicate the ongoing development of the disease? Thanks in advance for your reply

Can I breastfeed my baby after being bitten by a tick?
Yesterday I was bitten by a tick, I feel good the bite site is also normal, can I breastfeed my baby?

Strange analyzes after borreliosis (Lyme disease).
Please see my daughter’s tests (Lyme disease) – a year has passed since the bite. I am very embarrassed that the indicators of M antibodies increased – they became 1.19, and in September they were 0.91. Indicators Borrelia burgdorferi, IgG antibodies – 0.55, and in September were 1.75 … So the infection is still in the body? I understand correctly? Please advise what to do? My daughter is 5 years old. thank you very much

Is tick-borne borreliosis transmitted from person to person? Is it possible to get pregnant with borreliosis in my husband?
Please tell me if tick-borne borreliosis is transmitted from person to person through sexual or other means.My husband was bitten by a tick, research indicated that there is a tick-borne borreliosis infection. She is taking antibiotics. We are now engaged in conceiving a child, can we continue? Is it dangerous for the formation of the fetus? Thank you, Ekaterina.

What to do if skin irritation occurs at the site of tick removal?
In early September, I removed the tick from the nipple on the left side of the chest. I did not go to the doctor. Now worried about itching, a small swelling in the nipple area, there is reddening of the skin.Please tell me which doctor to contact, what analysis should be done?

Could a red itchy spot be borreliosis?
Please help 1-2 weeks ago a red spot appeared on the leg near the groin. Slight itching. What could it be? Advise ointment. Thanks in advance. I remembered – I was on the site in short shorts and could be bitten. Pictures 3 days later could it be borreliosis? What to do?

How justified is the use of iodantipyrine after a tick bite?
How justified is the use of iodantipyrine after a tick bite? On the Internet, there are conflicting opinions about this drug.

How is tick-borne borreliosis treated?
At the beginning of June, my husband was bitten by a tick, two weeks later he developed a ring-shaped spot and a temperature of 41.