A Primer on Bug Bites and Stings

Bug bites and stings are usually minor nuisances and pose no danger. However, there are occasions when they can cause infection that warrant treatment, as well as allergic reactions that can be life threatening.

Entomologist Chito Medina, Ph.D. and pediatrician Cindy Raki-in, M.D. help us identify the different types of common house bugs and what we should know about them.

Mosquitoes
Breeding areas: Open water containers; tree holes; flood waters; canals
Bite signs and effects: Localized pain, redness, swelling, or itching
First aid: Wash the area with soap and water, then swab with alcohol or calamine lotion
Diseases carried: Malaria; Dengue; Encephalitides; Yellow fever; Filariasis
Management and prevention: Get rid of mosquito breeding places; apply insect repellant; use mosquito nets

Cockroaches
Breeding areas: Dark cabinet corners, under furniture, and behind walls
Bite signs and effects: Localized pain, redness, swelling, or itching
First aid: Wash the bitten area with soap and water; apply an ice pack or a wet, cold washcloth
Diseases carried: Exposure (not bites) to cockroach remains and feces poses a greater health threat, such as increased incidence of asthma; cockroaches are also possible carriers that transmit viral and bacterial diseases
Management and prevention: Observe proper sanitation in the home; use registered pesticides

 

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Caterpillars
Breeding areas: Leaves of certain plants
Bite signs and effects: Skin contact with a hairy or spiny caterpillar can cause skin irritation that includes itching, redness, swelling, and a raised rash
First aid: Wash the area with soap and water; Swab with alcohol or calamine lotion
Diseases carried: No known human diseases
Management and prevention: Be careful when visiting gardens; avoid touching plants without checking first if they are free from insects; use registered pesticides

Ants
Breeding areas: Leftover foods and trash cans
Bite signs and effects: skin irritation or welts (pantal) characterized by redness, itching, and swelling
First aid: Swab calamine lotion or apply cold compress
Diseases carried: No known human diseases
Management and prevention: Keep sweets covered tightly; wash or wipe off sweet food spills immediately; use registered insect spray to eliminate a colony

Bees / Wasps
Breeding areas: Gardens and tree branches
Bite signs and effects: Localized pain, redness, swelling, or itching; sometimes burning, numbness
First aid: Remove bee stinger as soon as possible; wash the area with soap and water; apply an ice pack or a wet, cold washcloth on bitten area
Diseases carried: Rare manifestations of bee sting diseases include encephalitis, polyneuritis, myocardial infarction, pulmonary edema, bleeding manifestations, and renal failure
Management and prevention: Avoid sudden movements around hives or nests; don’t use perfume and fl oral-patterned or dark clothing outdoors or plant-fi lled areas; use insect repellants and protective clothing; take care when eating outdoors, especially with sweet beverages or in areas near trash cans, which often attract bees

Bed bugs
Breeding areas: Mattress seams, folds, tears, and buttons; they are attracted to CO2 and warmth
Bite signs and effects: Allergic reactions; sleep loss
First aid: Swab with alcohol or calamine lotion
Diseases carried: No known human diseases
Management and prevention: Regularly vacuum, air- and sun-dry mattresses then cover

 

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Fleas and ticks
Breeding areas: Pets and their activity areas
Bite signs and effects: Rashes, inflammation
First aid: Use tweezers and grip the tick firmly at its head or mouth next to the skin, then pull until it lets go; swab the bite site with alcohol; never use petroleum jelly or a lit match to kill and remove a tick
Diseases carried: Lyme disease; typhus
Management and prevention: Wash and vacuum pets’ beddings frequently; burn used vacuum bag after, if possible; apply pest control products on your pets

Other remedies/actions for bites and stings:
•    For severe pain and itching, ask your doctor if you may give your child over-the-counter antihistamine, acetaminophen, or ibuprofen, or apply creams that soothe itching.
•    Seek immediate medical attention if your child is stung anywhere near the mouth. Stings in oral mucous membranes can quickly cause severe inflammation that may block airways.
•    Contact your doctor when a large skin rash or swelling around the sting site develops, or if the swelling and/or pain continue for more than three days. These could indicate an infection.

For severe allergic reactions to bites and stings:
The following danger-signs may indicate a serious or potentially fatal allergic reaction:
•    Wheezing or difficulty breathing
•    Swelling of the lips, tongue, or face
•    Tightness in the throat or chest
•    Dizziness or fainting
•    Nausea or vomiting
•    Change in skin color (from normal to bluish)
•    Call an ambulance or rush your child to the ER and begin rescue breathing and CPR.
•    If your child has any history of allergic reactions and complications, inform all caregivers (relatives, yaya, teachers, etc.) so they’ll know what to do in the event of a bug bite or sting.

 

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HEALTH ALERT!

MALARIA
A disease caused by a parasite called Plasmodium and transmitted via the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes which usually bite during nighttime. When left untreated, the illness
may result in severe anemia, low platelet count, pulmonary edema, hypoglycemia, encephalopathy, and death.

Symptoms:
•    Begins as a nonspecific illness characterized by fever and chills
•    Muscle and joint pains
•    Sweating
•    Severe headache
•    Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea

Treatment:
•    For the most severe form, presumed to be cloroquine resistant: the drug of choice includes a combination of quinine sulfate and doxycycline for seven days or fansidar single oral dose. Severe cases require parenteral therapy with quinine gluconate and doxycycline.
•    If acquired in areas where chloroquine resistance does not occur, chloroquine base can be given as the initial drug of choice
•    Non-falciparum malaria, which is less severe, usually responds to oral chloroquine

Prevention:
•    Use mosquito nets treated with insecticide
•    Wear long sleeves and pants
•    Apply repellant, light mosquito coils, and put up screens on doors and windows
•    Get chemoprophylaxis (drugs for prevention)

 

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DENGUE
An acute infectious disease transmitted through the bite of an infected Aedes aegypti mosquito. The disease has two types:
a) Dengue fever - a mild, self-limiting disease
b) Dengue Hemorrhagic fever - severe form of the disease associated with bleeding and complications

Symptoms:
•    Sudden onset of high fever which may last two to seven days
•    Joint and muscle pain and pain behind the eyes
•    Weakness
•    Skin rashes—red tiny spots on the skin
•    Nose bleeding when fever starts to subside
•    Abdominal pain
•    Vomiting of coffee-colored matter
•    Dark-colored stools

Treatment:
Based on symptoms and includes supportive hydration and prevention or treatment of
complications.

Prevention:
•    get rid of mosquito breeding places
•    cover water drums and pails at all times
•    clean all water containers once a week; scrub the sides well to remove eggs of mosquitoes sticking to them
•    clean gutters of leaves and debris to avoid collection of rainwater
•    puncture old tires if used as roof support
•    collect and dispose all unusable tin cans, jars, bottles and other items that can collect and hold water


Resources:
● Chito Medina, Ph.D., entomologist, scientist, Magsasaka at Siyentipiko Para sa Pag-unlad ng
Agrikultura (MASIPAG), Los Baños, Laguna
● Cindy Raki-in, M.D., pediatrician, Lanao del Sur Leaders for Health Program of the Ateneo and the DOH
● Websites: fda.gov; nlm.nih.gov; emedicine.com; kidshealth.org; ajns.paans.org


Photo by renfield via flickr creative commons