Tick bites

The tick usually clings to the skin. Remove the tick as soon as possible after the bite using fine tweezers or fingernails to grab the tick as close to the skin as possible. Pull it gently and slowly straight out, and try not to squeeze the body of the tick. Clean the site of the bite with disinfectant. (Traditional methods of tick removal using a burned match, petroleum jelly, or nail polish do not work well and are not recommended.)

See a doctor if you develop a rash which spreads out from a tick bite over the next week or so. Also, if you develop an unexplained high temperature (fever) within a month of the tick bite. These symptoms may be the first sign of Lyme disease and need checking out.

Infection

If the skin around a bite or sting becomes infected then you may need a course of antibiotics. This is not commonly needed.

What are my chances of having a serious allergic reaction?

• Most people do not have an allergic reaction to insect stings or bites.
• About 3 in 100 people who are stung have some kind of allergic reaction. Only in some of these is the reaction severe.

Some points about allergies to insect stings

• In the UK most allergic reactions are caused by wasp stings.
• You do not get an allergic reaction after a first sting by a particular type of insect. You need one or more stings to 'sensitise' your immune system.
• Sometimes it takes many stings to sensitise you. This is why some bee keepers who have had many previous stings may suddenly develop an allergic reaction to a bee sting.
• Bee and wasp venoms are different. People who are sensitised and 'allergic' to wasp venom are rarely allergic to bee venom.
• About 1 in 5 people who have had a previous generalised allergic reaction to a sting have no such reaction, or only a milder reaction, to a further sting. Therefore, if you have a generalised reaction to a sting, it does not necessarily mean it will happen again if you are stung again.
• However, the course can be variable. A series of stings may result in a generalised allergic reaction, no reaction, and then another generalised allergic reaction. The reason why some people have variable reactions to a series of stings is not clear.

In short, if you have an allergic reaction to a sting, you cannot predict what will happen next time you are stung. Therefore, your doctor may refer you to an allergy clinic.

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