Ant Bite

General or Other | General Practice | Ant Bite (Disease)


Description

Even if it sounds common, ant bites can be serious, or even fatal. Multiple ant bites can trigger an allergic reaction.

Symptoms of ant bites include: blister at the site of the bite, pain around the bite, tenderness to the skin around the bite, rash, itching.

In case of people with allergy to ant venom, the symptoms can be more severe and can turn fatal too. Such people may experience symptoms, like, difficulty in breathing, rapid pulse, difficulty in speaking, incoherence, nausea, vomiting, excessive swelling or dizziness. In most cases of ant bites, the symptoms subside within a few hours.

Causes and Risk factors

Angry ants are a group moving upon anything in their path and begin to bite if their mounds are disturbed. Typically, ant bites cause redness, slight swelling and itching where you were bitten. There are a few species of ants that can cause extremely painful bites.

Diagnosis and Treatment

While some of them are not considered life-threatening, others can prove fatal to the victim. If you develop itching, swelling, pustules, etc. , avoiding scratching of the area is highly recommended as it can cause infection.

Swelling caused by ant bites can be relieved with ice packs. In case of severe allergic reactions, like, breathing trouble, wheezing, nausea, dizziness, hives, etc. , you have to rush the victim to the emergency room for immediate medical attention. ...