Insect bites – while painful – usually heal quickly on their own within a few hours or days, and should not require hospital treatment.
In the UK these include wasps, bees and midges, according to the NHS.
However, some bugs living in this country can cause more serious problems.
Today Matt Dawson, a former England rugby player, revealed that a tick bite in a London park left him with Lyme disease and needing heart surgery.
These are three serious insect bites from bugs living in the UK that you should be aware of.
Ticks
They are small, spider-like insects that latch onto the skin and feed on blood.
As in Dawson’s case, they can cause Lyme disease if they bite into a person allowing certain bacteria to be transmitted into the body.
According to the NHS, they are a common presence in UK woods, moors or thick grass.
You should remove a tick as soon as you spot one on your skin, and see a doctor if you get a circular rash spreading out from where you were bitten or you get Lyme disease symptoms.
Mosquitoes
In the UK, most mosquitoes feed on the blood of birds, not humans.
They also don’t tend to transmit infections in this country, unlike malaria in other parts of the world.
However, mosquito numbers are rising due to the increasingly warm weather – reports of bites have increased 2.5 times.
Malaria in England died out in the 1950s, however due to global travel there are growing number of cases where infected mosquitos have travelled in aircraft or luggage.
False widow spiders
They are the most venomous spider in the UK and can leave both adults and children needing treatment.
Cases have been on the rise since they were accidentally imported from the Canary and Madeira islands during the 19th century.
While rare, bites can result in pain, redness and swelling and are usually because the spider has been disturbed or got trapped between clothing.
You should be able to manage symptoms at home, but it is important to avoid the bite becoming infected.
Daily Express :: Life and Style Feed
