Biting insects use mouth parts and can infect person with the diseases. Mosquitoes and ticks can carry infections.
Stinging insects like wasps, bees and fire ants, can inject victim with venom that irritates skin causing local swelling, redness, and pain but do not usually carry diseases. However, insect stings can be deadly to people with severe allergies to the insect venom. Symptoms of severe systemic reaction are trouble breathing, voice hoarseness or wheezing (whistling sound during breathing), swelling of the face, eyelids, lips, tongue, mouth, hands or feet, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness and collapse.
If person got stung by a bee or wasp, they need to remove the stinger from the skin. For fire ants stings person should remove it with a slap as soon as sting felt. Area needs to be washed with soap and cool water and cold compress or ice placed on and off to keep inflammation dawn. Over-the-counter anti itch and pain medications may be used.
Ticks live in the grass, on shrubs or trees and attach to people who are in the area. Lyme disease can be spread by a one particular tick. That tick must stay attached for a while before it can infect individual. Tick needs to be gently removed by tweezers and saved by using clear tape or plastic bag. Taking picture is also helpful, so health care professional may identify it and treat bite appropriately. Treating provider needs to know if a patient bitten by a tick has fever, rash or tick was attached for at least 36 hours.
If indicated and appropriate, antibiotics can be prescribed to prevent Lyme disease.
