In Germany, favourable weather conditions can lead to a significant increase in mosquitoes in river valleys or in stagnant bodies of water, which literally become a nuisance. But mosquitoes are also widespread outside these endemic areas.
Who hasn’t heard the nighttime buzzing of mosquitoes, whose characteristic approaching sound can get on your nerves? If the animal cannot be scared away or destroyed, you can be relatively certain that an attack is imminent. If mosquitoes have a choice, they seem to prefer certain people for their blood meal who emit a certain cocktail of body temperature, sweat, scents and attractants. This is popularly known as “sweet blood”. When landing on a victim, the mosquito selects an area of skin that has few hairs and is also well supplied with blood. The puncture itself is not noticed by the victim. An injected anesthetic prevents pain. An anticoagulant, also released with the saliva, provides the bloodsucker with an unimpeded blood flow.
The excruciating itch only occurs after the mosquito has already moved away again. The body’s own messenger substances are now released through an immediate allergic reaction, which causes intense itching and occasionally burning or pain. As a rule, the consequences of the stinging event remain harmless. The hives disappear with the itching and the nightmare is over. However, the skin changes can persist for several days in the form of a delayed allergic reaction.
The subsequent scratching can damage the integrity of the skin to such an extent that bacterial germs such as B. staphylocci spread to the surface of the injured skin and temporarily weaken the immune system. In immunocompromised or diabetic patients, what is in principle harmless can result in a wound that heals poorly and can last for a long time. Patients with neurodermatitis are also particularly at risk because their skin already has an approximately 20-fold higher colonization by staphylocci compared to people with healthy skin.
The best treatment against mosquitoes is prevention. Mosquito nets offer some help, but are often not practical. A mosquito net is also a good protection for children. A fly swatter helps during the day if you are prepared to hunt. Of the various rubbing agents (repellents from the Latin repellere: to ward off, to drive away), e.g. the active ingredient Bayrepel is recommended by the World Health Authority (WHO). Electric vaporizers have also proven effective. However, no success has been achieved with mosquito repellents.
Once mosquito bites have occurred and the itching has been unbearable for a long time, the itching can be quickly stopped with an antihistamine tablet, which also helps preventatively. External remedies are hardly effective. If the inflammation progresses with redness, crusting or allergic itching, a dermatological examination and therapy are necessary. Apart from the regions that are particularly affected by mosquitoes, mosquitoes and their consequences can be effectively combated through appropriate prevention and, if necessary, drug therapy.
- More topics about health and medicine
-
-
-
