Biting issues.
At this time of year all birds, bees and beasties are celebrating surviving the winter, and are full of the joys of spring. They travel - looking for food, looking for homes and looking for mates. Should you get in their way, you may be in trouble.
We see a lot of insect bites and animal bites at this time of year, mostly because the activity level of all animals increase as the ambient temperature starts its climb to the summertime highs. This article is one of a series of articles aimed to help the public in dealing with acute medical situations, and is intended as a guide to assist you in dealing with bites and stings over the festive season.
Insect bites and stings occur when you bug an insect - threaten its well-being, or get in its way. There are no insects or spiders that hunt humans. They are mostly more scared of you than you may be of them. If you leave them alone, they will probably leave you alone, but if they feel threatened or trapped they may give up their lives to get away. Ironic, isn't it. However, the point is that the first step in treating bites is to avoid them. Rather be cautious than sorry - check your cool drink for bees before drinking, make sure that spiders are kept out of your house, turn your mattress regularly to help the bugs from getting too comfortable in your bed - bugs or spiders that may bite you whilst sleeping.
Most insect bites are more irritating than life threatening. They mostly occur on skin that is not covered by clothing, as in mosquito bites, or on areas of the body that are used to explore - for example bee-stings occur mostly on the hands, feet and mouth - the areas of our body that we use to explore things without necessarily looking for danger first. We are currently finding that a high proportion of beestings go septic within a day or two, especially on the hands and feet. Septic wound are often characterised by redness and swelling that is excessive, inflamed glands that drain that area of the body (glands in the armpit in the case of hand sepsis, in the groin in the case of feet), and pain that is more than one would expect. The pain of sepsis is often progressive i.e. gets worse with time, rather than better. Septic wounds require an antibiotic from your doctor, and again, prevention is better than cure.
In the case of a bee-sting, firstly remove the sting if present by scraping the sting from the wound with a sharp knife, or remove with fine tweezers. Avoid squeezing the poison sac and injecting more poison into the wound. Remove the sting as soon as possible, to minimize the amount of poison that gets injected. Once the sting is removed, clean the area with a mild antiseptic, and then apply an antiseptic cream or ointment to the bite area (Bactroban or Fusidin work well). An antihistamine and parecetamol will help to relieve the inflammation and pain. If the stung person is allergic to bees, get them to the closest medical facility fast. If the patient starts to develop a rash, feels short of breath or experiences any alarming symptoms, get them to a doctor immediately. Do NOT wait to see if they will get better by themselves. Allergies kill fast, so you may have to act fast.
Mosquito bites are often also encountered on exposed flesh. They are often itchy, and in young children can swell rather dramatically. A topical antihistamine cream works well to reduce the irritation.
Spider bites are very different. These bites are often dramatically inflamed and very painful. Glands draining the affected area are also often swollen. Many people don't even know that they have been bitten, but present with these sore, swollen and inflamed areas with no history of having been bitten. Most spider bites probably occur whilst the person is asleep, and often there is a row of bites, as though the spider has walked along a line, biting as the spider goes along, so one gets a row of bites along a part of the body, commonly the trunk, buttocks and arms. Spider bites are difficult to treat. An anti-inflammatory and antiseptic cream can be used initially - but if the bite continues to swell, gets more painful, starts to ooze pus or the glands start to hurt, it is probably best to see your doctor. Your doctor may have to cut the bite open to drain the pus, and an antibiotic is often recommended. Spider bites are seldom lethal in fit, healthy adults, but can be very much more dangerous in those with a debilitating illness and in small children.
Scorpions are very common in and around Northcliff, especially around the koppies. They often live under rocks, and children playing among rocks or those who do a lot of gardening are most at risk. Generally, the victim sees the scorpion when stung, so one knows who the culprit was. Scorpion bites are fantastically painful, but seldom dangerous. Anti-inflammatories and general antiseptic precautions are a must, as soon as possible after the assault. In remote areas, submersing the limb in hot water - as hot as one can bear - to denature the toxin may be the only way to relieve the pain. It is advisable to see your doctor if pain persists, because sometimes the only way to relieve the pain is for your doctor to administer a local anaesthetic to the affected area.
Scorpions with small pincers and big tails are said to have the more toxic venom, but those scorpions with small tails and big pincers still hurt. Scorpion stings are seldom lethal in our area, but small children are still risky. Water scorpions don't sting - that long thing on their tail is a snorkel.
Snakes are always risky. Don't take a chance if you get hit by a snake - see your doctor quickly. If possible take the snake with you (preferably in a jar or appropriate container), but do not delay your visit to the doctor. The priority should not be revenge, but seeking medical help. Do not delay. It is best to wrap the limb with a sheet, bandage or whatever, starting close to the body and wrapping towards the end of the limb. The limb should be immobilised, the bandage firm but not tight. Do not use a tourniquet. Keep the patient as still and relaxed as possible. Transport to the nearest medical facility as quickly as possible. Time is of the essence in snakebite - a delay of 2 hours before appropriate medical help is initiated could mean that the victim spends an extra 2 weeks in hospital, so move quickly.
Bites from mammals - cats, dogs, rodents, humans - are all treated the same. All wounds should be cleaned with an antiseptic solution as soon as possible, and an antiseptic ointment applied. Bleeding should be controlled by the application of local pressure - a firm bandage should do. Deep, penetrating injuries should be taken to a doctor. They may need to be assessed for fractures or ligament injury, and often an antibiotic is prescribed. Very superficial lacerations can be watched at home, with meticulous applications of antiseptics, but if they start to swell or go septic, they must be attended to by a medical practitioner.
Generally it is safer to administer an anti-tetanus injection when bitten by mammals or reptiles. Anti-tetanus injections last for two to five years - if in any doubt as to whether you have had one recently, or if there is any doubt about whether or not you need one, then it is possibly safer just to see your doctor and have a jab. Always do the safest thing - if in doubt see your doctor.
If you have read this far, you will probably agree that avoiding the injury is preferable to trying to fix the bite. Rather try hard not to be stung or bitten, than having to go through all the expense and inconvenience incurred in treating the injury. Remember that if you look for trouble, seldom will you look in vain - leave the creepies alone, and generally they will leave you alone. |
