Early August and besides the nightmare of extremely high temperatures, another has been added to the already burdened daily life – mosquito. The heat and humidity conditions favor their reproduction and activity until September.
Parents have an additional reason to worry, since newborns, babies and older children are more sensitive to mosquito sting. The symptoms they have may be more intense, while at greater risk for allergic reactions. Alert must also be found for the possibility of skin and systemic infections, such as dengue and his virus West Nile.
“Insect bites are often in babies and saliva that is injected at the point usually causes nothing more than itching and discomfort, as in adults. However, in the early years of human life there is more intense reactions, since the body has not yet developed immune system and its ability to defend itself gradually, ”explains Dermatologist – Aphrodisiologist Dr. Christos Stamou.
“There are, of course, older people who are more sensitive to mosquito saliva. In addition to itching, they may have low fever, body pain and swollen lymph nodes or weakness, difficulty breathing, whistle, loss of senses. When a baby presents one of them it is necessary to urgently seek medical assistance, as it is Signs of Hypersensitivity, Allergy or Anaphylactic Shock“, He points out.
But why other people have symptoms and others not? Why do they appear in some immediately and others late?
As Dr. Stamou further explains, the reactions to the mosquito sting appear in phases: immediate reaction and delayed reaction, along with more intense local reactions. Immediately after the sting, a 2-10 mm diameter is formed, with erythema around it, culminating in 20-30 minutes. When there is a delayed reaction the symptoms are the same, only peak in 24-36 hours.
They are distinguished in stages, which evolve according to the sum of the bites that a person has suffered during his life. The first bite Mosquito in a baby results in a small, red spot (stage I). The next bites only lead to a delayed reaction (stage II), then to an immediate and delayed reaction (stage III), then only to an immediate reaction (stage IV) and finally to no reaction (neither direct nor delayed) (stage V). That is, the physical desensitization in the saliva of mosquitoes can occur with a long exposure. One study, however, found that the course of the development of the stadium differs from person to person, with 6 out of 10 remaining in Stage III for a period of 30 years.
The highest risk of more severe symptoms and allergy to mosquito sting are people with a strong local reaction (pompel> 5 mm) and stronger itching. Scratching to relieve it can cause scars that cause scars and hyperlomaging.
In children Allergy is manifested by large buds, redness around them, a feeling of heat, edema, which may be accompanied by fever and lymphadenopathy. The Skeeter syndromeas the allergic reaction to mosquito sting, occurs within hours and recedes 3-10 days later.
Atopic children are particularly vulnerable and have strong reactions. A study of 180 children found that 32% who had severe local or unusual reactions had a concomitant atopic disease (atopic dermatitis or asthma, allergic rhinitis).
The main objective of parents, therefore, should be to protect baby, infants and older children in at least 2 months – especially those who will spend their holidays in the countryside or even more in foreign countries with particular mosquito activity (liquid and hot environments). Only in this way can they reduce the risks they are running through, including scratching infections, which requires antibiotics.
Preventive measures
The mosquitoes select their candidate victim through visual color indications. As they approach it, they are increasingly based on thermal and olfactory stimuli. Research has shown that they are particularly attracted to warm sweaty bodies, the exhaled carbon dioxide and the smell of some skin. The smell of the human body is partly derived from volatile organic compounds emitted by bacteria of the skin. Those who have, for example, diversity of its microbiomes are more attracted to mosquitoes.
According to Dr. Stamou, the following practices prevent mosquito bites:
- The care of child skin with products that do not contain perfumes
- The choice of clothes that cover the skin (long -sleeved cotton t -shirts, long pants and socks) in old colors
- Staying in cool spaces to avoid sweating, since sweat attracts mosquitoes
- Mosquito placement in beds and wheat on windows and camping tents
- The removal of stagnant waters from terraces and gardens, as mosquitoes reproduce them
- Preventing stay and play outdoors with water or humidity, e.g. In the watered lawn the dusk
“OR Use insect repellent must be sparingly in babies. Choose what is intended for them and removed with water and soap as soon as the risk of sting is over. Avoid use in the face and hands, as very young children are often put in the mouth, as well as where the skin is discontinued, due to trauma or trauma, or there is a skin condition.
Most repellents are safe for use in children aged 3 months or older when used according to instructions, although some formulations are recommended only for children older than one year.
Parents should check if they are appropriate for the age of their children by reading the product label and repeating the spread regularly, because the action of the insect repellent weakens with sweat and swimming, ”the doctor concludes.