Medically reviewed by Amir Zegar, DO
When Should You Visit An ER For a Bug Bite?
Bug bites can be annoying, painful, and itchy. While most bug bites aren’t serious, some are very serious and require visiting an emergency room in your area. If you are in houston, and need help, you can visit Memorial Village Emergency Room located off Memorial Drive and Dairy Ashford, just 5 minutes from the Memorial City area off i-10 and Beltway 8.
Keep in mind that it is very unlikely a bug bite will cause someone to end up needing emergency medical care. Instead, we want you to watch out for an infection at the site of the bug bite.
Let’s first identify the different types of bites Houstonians experience and what to watch out for.
Types of Common Bug Bites
- Mosquito bites
Mosquitos pierce your skin causing itchy bumps. Female mosquitoes are most responsible for bites since they need blood to produce eggs. Mosquito bites cause a reddish spot on the skin. The reddish bumps resemble small blisters. Mosquito bites are harmless and should trigger a visit to an ER. You can prevent mosquito bites by using repellants, birdbaths, and draining stagnant water near the households.
- Flea bites
Fleas suck human blood, and they primarily target the legs. You can tell a flea bite since it’s characterized by a small red spot, with a light-colored center, at the point where the flea’s mouth met the skin. There are typically no side effects unless you scratch the region.
Fleas cause a few diseases, including flea-borne typhus, plague, and cat scratch disease. Few bites are, however, harmless. These bites can be prevented using repellants and properly handling sick and dead animals.
- Bed bug bites
Bed bugs cause a musty odor in your bedroom and specks of blood on your bedding. Bed bug bites are followed by itchy welts on your skin in a non-linear pattern. Bugs do not spread any disease, and thus their bites should not cause alarm.
- Tick bites
Ticks are tiny insects that resemble specks of dirt on your skin. They prefer to bite in dark, warm, and hidden body areas such as behind the knees, belly button, between fingers and toenails, underarms, and on the scalp. Tick bites are serious since they can result in Lyme disease, characterized by heart damage and neurological symptoms.
- Spider bites
Spider bites are characterized by two tiny puncture marks on your skin. The site also becomes reddish and swells. The good thing is that most spiders don’t bite unless aggravated. There are innocuous spiders, while others are very poisonous. Poisonous spiders cause necrotic lesions, nausea, and muscle spasms. If you experience brown recluses, seek immediate medical attention by visiting an emergency room in Houston, TX.
Other types of bites
- Fly bites
- Sand fly bites
- Chigger bites
- Ant bites
- Stings
- Bee stings
- scabies
What are the Three 3 Signs of an Infected Bite?
For most insect bites, your skin will become red at the affected point and be itchy for several days. Knowing whether a bug bite is infected is necessary to seek professional medical attention. The main signs of an infected bite include,
- Pain – if the bug bite is painful and tender, high chances are that it’s infected.
- Redness – if the affected region becomes red and swollen, the bug bite is potentially infected.
- Heat – when the bitten point becomes warmer than the other regions, it indicates an infected bite.
Other signs of an infected bug bite include,
- Fever
- Fatigue
- Rash
- Nausea
- Chills
- Headache
- Fatigue
- Pus
- Swelling
- Blisters
When you experience these signs following an insect bite, visiting a doctor is essential. Infected bites are usually severe and may necessitate hospitalization.
How To Know if a Bug Bite is Serious?
Since bug bites happen every time, it’s essential to differentiate between serious and harmless ones. Serious bites require an emergency visit to a doctor or an emergency room. The signs that a bug bite may be severe include,
- You develop a fever.
- A bite triggers a rash.
- You notice pus developing in the bite.
- The bite becomes very painful.
- Red and swollen.
- You have trouble breathing.
- You have nausea or vomiting.
When you develop these symptoms, you should see a doctor instantly. Serious bug bites can sometimes cause infections, sepsis, or death. To be safe against bug bites, wear long sleeves and pants, use insect repellants, and check for ticks after outdoor activities.
These tips help reduce your risk of encountering a bug bite. When bitten, applying water and soap via a cold press as first aid is essential before you reach the doctor.