When an Insect Bite Can Be Deadly

An insect bite can be life-threatening. Yekaterina Demyanovskaya, a doctor and expert at the Gemotest laboratory, told Gorodskiye Media which symptoms should raise concern and when to call an ambulance immediately.

Most often, serious reactions are caused by bites from wasps, bees, hornets and bumblebees — their venom can trigger a lightning-fast allergic reaction. Bloodsucking insects also pose a serious threat: ticks, mosquitoes, horseflies and blackflies, which can transmit infections.

The most alarming signals are breathing problems and swelling of the face or neck. If breathing becomes difficult after a bite, shortness of breath appears, the voice grows hoarse, or the neck, face or lips begin to swell, help is needed immediately.

«In such cases, every minute counts, and attempts to cope on your own or simply observe how you feel waste the time that is critically important for preserving health,» Demyanovskaya stressed.

You should also be on alert if some time later a fever rises, a severe headache begins, or you alternate between chills and hot flashes. This may indicate that an infection has entered the bloodstream. This happens especially often after tick and mosquito bites.

«Besides fever, systemic signs include pronounced weakness, aching muscles and joints, headache and nausea. If these symptoms occur after a bite, doctors recommend not postponing a visit to the hospital,» the expert explained.

The bite site itself can also give cause for concern. Ordinary redness and swelling gradually subside, but if the redness spreads over a larger area and blisters with cloudy or bloody fluid appear on the skin, these are signs of infection.

«Particular attention should be paid to the situation when a ring-shaped redness resembling a target forms around the site where a tick has attached. This pattern often accompanies Lyme disease and requires a specific approach to treatment,» the doctor recalled.

Lyme disease (tick-borne borreliosis) is an infectious disease transmitted through the bite of an infected tick. Without treatment, the infection can affect the joints, nervous system and heart, so it is important to see a doctor as early as possible.

Pain at the bite site that does not go away for a long time, is not relieved by painkillers and radiates to neighboring areas should also raise concern. Inflammation may have affected deeper tissues or nerves.

Bites to the neck, face and mucous membranes deserve special attention. Even in the absence of an allergy, swelling in these areas can quickly block the airways.

«Any worsening of how you feel that increases rather than subsides deserves a specialist«s attention. If after two days the redness has not decreased but grown, if a fever or throbbing pain persists, this is a direct indication for consulting a doctor,» Demyanovskaya concluded.

When planning trips into nature, it is worth stocking up on repellents in advance. They help reduce the risk of bites, and therefore the risk of the infections transmitted through them.