Words from the children's poem Chukovsky know everything: " Suddenly, from nowhere - a small mosquito! "Only in real life mosquitoes often act not as fearless defenders, but as" tormentors "of little crumbs. More and more parents complain that mosquito bites in a child do not pass on the second or third day by themselves, but entail a variety of unpleasant reactions.
How does a mosquito bite?
Everyone knows that only female mosquitoes are capable of biting, the sting of which is in a special protective case that moves away during the bite. Puncturing the skin, the mosquito enters inside the anticoagulant, which will not allow blood to curdle while she "trapeznichat." It is this substance that causes the body's allergic reaction. The mosquito bite remains on the skin from 3-4 hours to several days.
Reaction to a mosquito bite in a child
Usually from a mosquito bite on the body appears a red or pale pink cone or a blister. The edema from a mosquito bite can be quite large, but it should not be frightened if there are no accompanying symptoms. Along with this, in medicine there is a term - an insect allergy, which manifests itself as a reaction to biologically active substances in the saliva of mosquitoes. The allergy can appear in the first minutes after a bite or after one or two days.
Symptoms of an allergic reaction to mosquito bites in children are:
- edema and redness of the place around the bite in diameter 5-10 cm;
- urticaria and irresistible itching at the bite site;
- fever and chills;
- nausea and vomiting accompanied by headache;
- indigestion and other signs of poisoning;
- anaphylactic shock , which occurs extremely rarely, but can threaten the life of the patient.
What to do if you bite a mosquito?
Bites of any insects in children should be carefully monitored. If the child is bitten by a mosquito, then you need to do everything possible so that the child does not touch this site. Combing a mosquito bite can be dangerous because an infection gets into the wound.
The first aid for mosquito bites includes the use of medications and the use of funds that remove swelling. The bite of a mosquito can be smeared with a soda solution (1 teaspoon per ½ cup of water), this will reduce itching and relieve swelling. It is good to apply a cold compress to the affected area, if there is no such possibility, then a coin, a piece of ice, is suitable.
If the symptoms remain, then you can use antihistamines that effectively relieve the itching and reduce swelling, for example, fenistil gel or psilo-balm. If mosquito bites strongly itch you can also use the classic Asterisk or Cream Rescuer.
Among the homeopathic remedies with mosquito bites, Ledum and Apis are used. If you know that your child has a tendency to allergic reactions, then it is better to stock up with antihistamine drugs in tablets and drops (suprastin, fenistil) so that if you bite the mosquito immediately protect the child.
If there is no possibility to treat a bite with a medicine, you can use traditional medicine. Take a leaf of plantain, yarrow or thyme, rub in your hand and attach the resulting gruel to the place of bite. You can also use the juice of dandelions. At home, except soda, you can use the leaves of aloe or mush from the onion.
Prevention of mosquito bites
As you know, prevention is more effective than any treatment, so you need to provide the child with a mosquito-free living space, using fumigators at home and carefully examining the place of the child's plays on the street. But at the same time pediatricians do not recommend using "anti-mosquito" cream and spraying repellents-aerosols.
Particularly dangerous are malarial mosquitoes, which are carriers of dangerous diseases. Be careful if the trace of a mosquito bite is not similar to all previous ones and the child's condition deteriorates sharply, then you should immediately consult a doctor.