HealthyLife Articles

Tag: bites

  • How To Treat Cat & Dog Bites

    SELF-CARE CORNER

    Aggrestive dog barking while owner is holding it back.

    Family pets, stray dogs and cats or neighborhood animals can all bite. Do you know what to do if you or your child gets a bite?

    What to do now

    Right away, you should:

    *  Wash the skin wound with soap and water.

    *  If it’s bleeding, use a clean towel to gently press down on the area.

    *  Once bleeding has stopped, apply a sterile bandage.

    Should I call a doctor?

    Some bites may need medical care. Call your doctor if:

    *  You think it might be infected. Look for fever, redness, swelling, warmth and drainage.

    *  You can’t get the bleeding to stop after pressing on it for 15 minutes.

    *  You think the injury is serious or it looks deep.

    *  You think there might be a broken bone.

    *  You have diabetes or a weakened immune system.

    *  Your last tetanus shot was more than 5 years ago. Or, you don’t remember when you last had a tetanus shot.

    *  You were bit by a wild or stray animal.

    *  The bite was on the face.

    *  The bite happened to a child.

    *  You don’t know if the animal is up to date on all its vaccines (shots).

    Do I need a rabies shot?

    Most cats and dogs in the U.S. don’t have rabies. So most people who get bit by a cat or dog don’t need to get a rabies shot. Many wild animals can have rabies, though. Raccoons, skunks, squirrels, bats and coyotes may have it.

    If you know the owner of the cat or dog that bit you, ask for their health records. Sometimes the pet needs to be isolated so they can look for signs of rabies. If any signs show up, they will test the animal for rabies. If the animal tests positive, then you need a rabies shot.

    If you were bit by a stray animal, call animal control. They will try to find the animal so they can test it for rabies. You may need to report the bite to animal control or your local health department too. Ask your doctor if you’re not sure.

    Source: American Academy of Family Physicians

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • West Nile Virus

    General Health Conditions

    Mosquito bites cause West Nile virus if the mosquito is infected with it.

    Signs & Symptoms

    Most people who get the virus will have no symptoms. About 1 in 5 persons will get mild ones (West Nile fever). Symptoms usually occur 3 to 14 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito. See doctor for the following:

    *  Fever.

    *  Headache.

    *  Body aches.

    *  Skin rash on the trunk of the body (sometimes).

    *  Swollen lymph glands (sometimes).

    About 1 in 150 persons get symptoms of a severe infection (West Nile encephalitis or meningitis). Get Immediate Care for the following:

    *  High fever.

    *  Stiff neck.

    *  Severe headache.

    *  Muscle weakness.

    *  Tremors. Confusion.

    *  Convulsions.

    *  Decreasing level of consciousness.

    *  Paralysis.

    Prevention

    Protect yourself from mosquito bites. Stay indoors at peak mosquito biting times (dawn, dusk, and early evening). Apply an insect repellent with DEET to clothing and exposed skin to last long enough for the times you will be outdoors. Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants when you are outdoors.

    Resources

    Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

    www.cdc.gov

    Student Self-Care book by the American Institute for Preventive Medicine. www.HealthyLife.com. All rights reserved.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • Avoid Bed Bugs

    WELL-BEING

    Image of a bed.

    Upon entering a hotel room, place your luggage in the bathtub or on the toilet seat. Bed bugs can’t crawl up these surfaces and attach to your bags. While in the room, keep luggage on the luggage rack, off the floor. Hard-sided luggage lacks the folds and creases of soft-sided bags making it more difficult for the pests to hide in your bags.

    Since bed bugs are large enough to see, check the mattress and bed frame for any signs that the pests have been hiding there. Do you notice any tiny black spots? Spots and stains are good indicators of either a current or prior presence. Pull back sheets, inspect mattress seams and examine any other upholstered items in the room.

    Bed bugs are drawn to wood-don’t neglect the nightstand and dresser. If it appears as though the critters have invited themselves into your hotel room, ask the management for another room.

    Before packing the car for the trip home, place luggage in large plastic bags and knot securely. Once home, immediately wash all clothing on the hottest temperature setting suggested by the care labels. Dry on high heat for at least  30 minutes. Avoid packing items that can only be laundered on a cold-water setting, suggest The Maids, a residential cleaning service.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • Banish Biting Bugs

    SELF-CARE CORNER

    Image of female spraying insect repellent on arm.

    Insects like mosquitoes and ticks may annoy you during a summer barbeque or camping trip. But an effective bug repellent does more than avoid an itchy inconvenience. It may help prevent you from getting sick. Mosquitoes and ticks may carry diseases that are dangerous to humans. Many ticks carry Lyme disease and mosquitoes may spread the West Nile and Zika viruses.

    To help keep mosquitoes away, use a repellent that’s been proven safe and effective by the CDC. Look at the label and choose a repellent with one of these active ingredients:

    *  DEET

    *  Picaridin

    *  IR3535

    *  Oil of lemon eucalyptus

    *  Para-menthane-diol

    The CDC recommends tick repellents that have one of the following active ingredients:

    *  DEET (20 to 30 percent): use on skin and clothing, but not under clothing.

    *  Permethrin: use on clothing and gear only.

    In addition to a repellent, there are other ways to avoid bugs:

    *  Avoid wooded and brushy areas when possible.

    *  Walk in the center of trails.

    *  Wear clothing that covers arms and legs.

    *  Minimize time outside at dawn and dusk, when mosquitoes are most active.

    *  Throw out standing water in tires, buckets, birdbaths or other outdoor items at least once a week.

    *  Do a full-body check for ticks after spending time outside.

    What to do if you spot a tick

    If you find a tick on your skin, it should be removed as soon as possible. Here’s what to do:

    *  Don’t panic.

    *  Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin’s surface as possible.

    *  Pull upward on the tick slowly and evenly. Don’t twist the tick or try to yank it out quickly.

    *  If parts of the mouth remain after you’ve tried to remove it, use the tweezers to try and get them out. If you can’t get them out, leave it alone so the skin can heal.

    *  After you’ve removed the tick, clean the bite area and your hands with soap and water, rubbing alcohol or an iodine scrub.

    *  If the tick is alive, don’t try to crush it. Instead, put it in alcohol or an airtight bag or container. You can also wrap it tightly in tape or flush it down the toilet.

    *  Ticks can also be removed by your doctor if you can’t get it out yourself.

    *  If you’ve been bitten by a tick, contact your doctor for follow-up care.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • Don’T Let The Bed Bugs Bite

    SELF-CARE CORNER

    Image of women making bed.

    Bed bugs have become more common in the U.S. in recent years. Common pesticides used to kill bed bugs may not work as well as they once did. The bugs may be getting “resistant,” which means they can survive pesticides used on them. This resistance, along with increased travel by people and lack of knowledge about how to get rid of them, are likely to blame for the rise in these pests.

    Bed bugs feed on blood so they are attracted to people and animals. They also come out at night, so the bed is the best place for them to find their meal.

    Check for bed bugs

    If you want to keep bed bugs out, you’ll need to check your home, as well as hotels while traveling. Look for small, reddish brown bugs about the size of an apple seed. Use a flashlight to get a good look. Check:

    *  Under and all around the mattress, box spring and bed frame

    *  Seams and small crevices where they like to hide –  bed bugs can get into cracks as thin as a credit card

    *  Nightstands and other furniture near beds

    Do I have bed bugs?

    Even if you don’t see any bugs, watch for signs that they are hiding in your home and biting people. The most common signs of bed bugs include:

    *  Small, reddish spots on bed sheets or mattresses

    *  Small round, dark spots on the bed  (may look like ink spots)

    *  Tiny eggs, egg shells or light yellow skins

    How to prevent them

    Bed bugs have been found in clean homes that are well cared for. They can be hard to keep out. These tips can help you keep them away:

    *  Check for bed bugs when you travel and don’t put your suitcase on the bed.

    *  When you get home from a trip, immediately wash your travel clothes in hot water.

    *  Keep luggage outside when you get home and vacuum it thoroughly. Empty the vacuum contents into a plastic bag, seal it and throw it in the garbage outside.

    If you find a bug that might be a bed bug, tape it to a piece of paper so you can show it to a pest control expert. Call a pest control company right away. If you live in an apartment or rental home, contact your landlord about what to do.

    The Environmental Protection Agency has information about getting rid of them on their website. Visitwww.epa.gov/bedbugs.

    Sources: National Institutes of Health, Environmental Protection Agency

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • Quit Bugging Me

    WELL-BEING

    Image of insect repellant.

    As you enjoy the great outdoors, you may not see a bear, but you might encounter biting and stinging critters such as ticks, mosquitoes, and other insects.

    Bring along your own make-at-home first aid kit that includes assorted bandages and basic medicines such as a 1 percent hydrocortisone anti-itch cream, suggests Dr. Janyce Sanford, an ER doctor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

    Use insect repellant with DEET. Include tweezers to remove ticks (the best way is to pull straight up in an easy motion). And if anyone is sensitive to bee or wasp stings, carry an epinephrine auto-injector (EpiPen) when camping or hiking.

    Find out who in your party knows CPR before you might need it. Carry emergency supplies of food and light, and make sure you practice common sense.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • Why Do Mosquitoes Always Bite Me?

    MEDICAL NEWS

    Close up image of person itching arm.

    It has to do with how you smell, but scientists still don’t know why some breeds are attracted to different smells, said Jason Pitts, professor of biological sciences at Vanderbilt University.

    The source of the aromatic compounds that produce body odor are bacterial colonies that exist on human skin, particularly in dark, moist areas such as the armpits and between the toes. Pitts and his colleagues have discovered that mosquito antennae are filled with hundreds of tiny odor receptors, which are individually tuned to detect specific odors.

    Just as mosquitoes may love you, they may not love natural repellants such as clove oil, citronella, lemon grass, eucalyptus, castor oil, peppermint, lavender, and cedar oil. But almost all of these are less effective than the synthetic repellant DEET, and they need to be reapplied more frequently.

    Bet you didn’t know these pesky insects have a long-range system that allows them to track down potential prey from more than 100 yards away. The mosquitoes do so, in part, by sensing the carbon dioxide in human breath. When we exhale, our breath contains more carbon dioxide than the surrounding air, and mosquitoes can detect this difference-especially if you’ve had a beer or other alcoholic drink.

    To avoid mosquito bites, CDC gives the following advice:

    *  Use an insect repellant when you go outdoors. The FDA approves ones with DEET, picaridin. IR3535, and oil of lemon eucalyptus. Follow the product label’s directions.

    *  As much as possible, wear long sleeves, long pants, and socks. For extra protection, spray clothes, not your skin, with repellant that contains permethrin.

    *  Avoid outdoor activities from dusk to dawn or take extra care to use insect repellant and protective clothing during these times.

    *  Keep mosquitoes outside the house. Use screens on windows and doors or use air conditioning.

    *  On a regular basis, empty water that collects in outdoor buckets, flowerpots, pool covers and bird baths. Mosquitoes like stationary water.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine