How to prevent and treat ant bites

The three-cavity ant is one of the most terrifying insects for anyone who is bitten by it. Whether the wound is mild or severe, it causes discomfort and affects health and daily life. Improper treatment of three-cavity ant bites can make the wound worse and leave scars.

Killing ants makes dermatitis worse

Associate Professor, Dr. Dang Thi Dung emphasized: The body of the three-cavity ant contains a toxin called Pederin (C24H43O9N), which is 12-15 times more toxic than cobra venom, but with a small amount of contact and only on the skin, it is not enough to kill people like snake venom. Pederin is present in the animal's blood. The act of using hands to kill the ant "crushing the flesh" has caused the toxin to be released and can come into contact with human skin, causing severe dermatitis.

Image of a pointed-tailed ant. Photo: contrungvietnam.com.vn.

If your hands have just killed ants and have not been washed immediately, and then come into contact with other areas of the body, those areas will also be contaminated. If you put your hands with toxins in them on your eyes, it can cause conjunctivitis, swelling of the soft tissue around the eyes, and in some cases, temporary blindness. The stings of the three-compartment ant only cause mild blistering, not causing widespread, intertwined ulcers like many people have experienced.

Dr. Dung also said that the Pederin poison of the ant is only a self-defense agent. That means they are not naturally harmful to humans. Ant stings do not contain this poison. The greatest danger is when you come into contact with the Pederin poison released by ants when they are killed. Therefore, if you see ants clinging to your body, just blow gently to let the ants fly away and wash the skin area that has just been in contact with it to help you minimize the Pederin on your skin.

Symptoms of the disease are itching, burning, then redness and blistering of the skin area exposed to insects. Photo: VnExpress

Treatment of dermatitis caused by ants

Dr. Pham Hong Lanh, Central Dermatology Hospital, confirmed: Treating wounds caused by ants is not difficult. After contact with ants, you just need to wash thoroughly with soap and apply medications containing corticosteroids (such as Korcin).

Dr. Pham Hong Thai, Department of Entomology, Hanoi University of Agriculture, has personally tested the treatment of wounds caused by ants. Dr. Thai has successfully treated them in a very simple way: Use green tea mixed with a little salt, wash many times a day (to dilute the ant's toxins), the wound will be soothed and quickly heal. You can also apply this method.

According to Dr. Vu Manh Hung, Deputy Director of the Central Dermatology Hospital, when the first signs of dermatitis caused by ant bites (or other insects) appear, the disease manifests as red spots. The best way is to use saline to wash the area 3-4 times a day to neutralize the secretions of the insect. Then, apply skin-soothing medications such as lake water, Tetra-pred lake. When the lesion is dry, apply antibiotic cream, or antibiotic cream combined with anti-inflammatory corticosteroids...

However, if the application does not quickly reduce symptoms and widespread lesions or systemic infections appear, the patient must definitely see a dermatologist for advice on appropriate use of antibiotics and anti-allergy drugs.

Child with kissing lesion due to ant bite. Photo: VnExpress

For young children, it is difficult to keep skin lesions because they may not be able to bear the itch and scratch, causing the lesions to spread and become difficult to treat. "Therefore, when there are signs above, especially in young children, it is best to take the child to the hospital for a doctor to prescribe a prescription and instruct on how to handle it. But the first important thing is to immediately wash the bite under running water to remove some of the insect venom," Dr. Hung shared.

Preventing ant bites

According to Mr. Nguyen Nhat Cam, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Center for Preventive Medicine, people should not be too alarmed because the three-cavity ant is actually a long-standing insect. It is not as worrisome as disease-transmitting insects (stink bugs, Aedes mosquitoes). This insect does not bite or sting people, but people accidentally come into contact with the toxic substances in the ant's body, causing dermatitis.

According to him, it is possible that due to favorable environmental conditions, the appearance of the three-compartment ants tends to increase. Especially, in September, October, November, which is the reproductive period of this type of insect. Therefore, it has appeared with higher density, especially in suburban apartment buildings, near fields.

Dr. Pham Thi Khoa, Department of Experimental Chemistry, Central Institute of Malaria, Parasitology and Entomology.

Dr. Pham Thi Khoa, Department of Experimental Chemistry, Central Institute of Malaria - Parasitology - Entomology, said that in fact, many types of insects are developing abnormally, not just the three-compartment ants. The reason may be because the three-compartment ants eat brown planthoppers, when this food source is abundant (people spray chemicals indiscriminately, so the brown planthoppers are very resistant to drugs), the number of three-compartment ants also increases.

According to experts, this insect species has just emerged this year. Many people do not know, when they feel itchy, they scratch or think they have shingles, so they apply medicine on themselves, making the disease worse and taking longer to heal. Some people kill ants with their hands, then apply it all over their body.

In fact, it is very difficult to kill the three-cavity ants. Common insecticide sprays and misting sprays are ineffective. To kill them, the only way is to spray residual chemicals, spreading a certain amount of chemicals on the wall so that when the ants crawl in, they die. However, this spraying method is difficult to apply in families because it is expensive. Moreover, houses with children should not use this spraying method.

Insects like blue light, and ants often gather in areas with lights. Therefore, people should close doors and limit the use of lights at night. At the same time, they should regularly clean the house, shake out blankets and bedding before going to bed. When taking children out, they should avoid bright lights. Families should use mosquito and insect nets, and place insect-repellent plants such as lemongrass and night-blooming jasmine around the house.

If you see a red velvet ant on your body, blow gently to make it fly away, do not rub it hard. Absolutely do not use your hands to hit the ant, instead use gloves, a fly swatter, etc.

If you accidentally come into contact with the ant, wash it with cold water or diluted salt water. Do not wash with soapy water because it will increase irritation. Absolutely do not scratch or rub the damaged skin area, then apply a paste to soothe and cool the damaged area. If you see blisters, burns, or irritation on your skin, you should go to a medical facility for timely diagnosis and treatment.

Synthesized from VnExpress.vn/2giadinh.vn/dietmoisinhhoc.com