2023-05-31 07:19:53
Summer is also the favorite season for many insects and animals of all kinds, particularly active on sunny days… Spiders, mosquitoes, processionary caterpillars, Asian hornets, bees, bumblebees, wasps, fleas, jellyfish, centipedes and centipedes, sea urchins, snakes, bedbugs, ticks, live… From the fleeting pain felt during the bite to the anaphylactic shock linked to an allergy and which can lead to death, there is a panoply of reactions that can follow the encounter with one or the other of these small critters and their contact with the skin!
Stings and bites what to do?
If the method of action varies according to each insect or animal – hence the importance of clearly identifying its executioner -, certain common points emerge.
Most often, it is a defensive sting, i.e. most animals sting (or bite) when they feel in danger. If it’s far from obvious, staying calm and not giving in to panic is sometimes the best way to avoid the attack!
As for the symptoms caused by a bite of this type, although they also vary, we most often observe a rinflammatory skin reaction : redness, oedema, swelling (even if some bites do not cause any swelling) …
Good reflexes in the event of a sting or bite
To avoid the worst, the key is to know how to react (well) to treat stings and bites. Indeed, although there are commonalities, it is above all in the identification of the particularity of each wound that the best chances of treatment lie. Already we must distinguish stings and bites: because very often the term ‘sting’ is wrongly used when it is actually a bite – in the case of the spider for example -. Finally, this name is also used to refer to the stinging reactions caused by certain species (jellyfish) without there really being a sting… And poor treatment can have serious consequences! If we tend to believe that rinsing with clear water is necessarily a good idea, this can be dangerous in the case of a jellyfish sting because fresh water risks bursting the micro-bubbles of venom and to accentuate the burning sensation… So many reasons which justify the fact of being able to recognize the different symptoms in order to be able to perfectly identify the animal which bit us! Among the gestures most frequently indicated in the event of a sting?
- Remove any obstacles (rings, chains, etc.) to prevent complications in the event of swelling;
- Disinfect properly to reduce the risk of infection and superinfection;
- Call for help (15 where the 112) in case of doubt and imperatively if an allergy to venom is suspected.
Stings and bites what are the risks?
In most cases, the sting turns out to be benign and a quick and basic treatment is enough to ward off any complications. However, certain situations may present a greater risk:
- If the person bitten is a child
- If the person has been bitten multiple times
- If the sting is on the face
- If the person is allergic to the venom of the offending animal
In any of these situations, it is best to quickly contact emergency services, a poison control center or seek urgent medical attention.
The most dangerous ? An allergic reaction that can lead to death! But some insects can also transmit diseases like the tick which absorbs the diseases present in the blood of its host, thus becoming itself a vector of disease. In the case of a tick bite, the risk is significant since if this insect is infected with the Borrelia bacterium, it can inoculate Lyme disease (borreliosis).
Finally, we are talking here above all regarding species that can be encountered in France, but other species present elsewhere in the world constitute a real danger to health: for spiders, this is particularly the case for the Black Widow or the tarantulatwo species of spiders whose bite can be fatal… So be extra vigilant if you plan to travel and there is a risk of coming across this type of beast on your way!
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