Summer is not only sun, warmth, relaxation, berries and fruits, plus a lot of other joys.
These are also mosquitoes that keep you awake at night. And their bites, by the way, are far from harmless – they can provoke serious infectious diseases.
What specific infections are transmitted by mosquito bites? What symptoms after a bite should you see a doctor?
Olga Vusik, an epidemiologist at the medical company Invitro, answered these questions.
Dirofilariasis
According to the specialist, bites from these annoying insects can lead to severe allergic reactions.
Bloodsuckers are also carriers of arbovirus infections (West Nile fever, Japanese and Californian encephalitis, encephalomyelitis) and parasitic diseases (malaria, dirofilariasis).
As for Belarus, the only transmissible helminthiasis in the country, which is transmitted through a mosquito bite, is dirofilariasis.
In recent years, the disease has been spreading to areas with a temperate climate, abundant in rivers and lakes, i.e. where the intermediate host (mosquitoes) breeds.
And the main owners are dogs, cats, foxes, wolves, ferrets and some other animals.
Humans become infected through the bites of blood-sucking mosquitoes infected with dirofilaria larvae, the epidemiologist noted.
And she added: from the moment of the bite until the first symptoms of the disease, it takes from 3 months to 1 year.
Creeping tumor
A small swelling appears under the skin, which can hurt, itch, burn, and even move a few centimeters a day.
In the latter case, the tumor stretches out in the form of a thread, repeating the shape of the helminth.
It can crawl anywhere: into the eyelid, the eye socket, the mammary gland, the forearm, the thigh.
At the same time, the specialist points out, the tests remain normal.
The greatest danger to humans is when the helminth penetrates the eye – this requires urgent surgical treatment.
When you need to see a doctor urgently
The epidemiologist says that diseases spread by mosquitoes appear in the human body after several days, sometimes even weeks.
If a fever develops a few days after the bite, you should immediately consult a doctor.
In addition, it is advisable to consult a doctor if suppuration, ulcers, or skin changes appear at the site of the bite.
Alarming symptoms may also include enlarged regional lymph nodes and the appearance of a rash a few days after the bites, Vusik said.
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