JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The warmer weather and sunny skies should make it more fun than ever to be outdoors. But instead, many kids and adults are dealing with bug bites and staph infections.
You do your best to fight off mosquitos and other pests. But when the bug spray fails and you're stuck with an annoying insect bite, the itch can be frustrating. And scratching it can lead to a skin infection.
Doctors are reporting a spike in staph infections from infected insect bites. Scratching tears or cuts the skin-allowing bacteria to get in. So you want to make sure that the wound is covered and protected. The drainage from these wounds is what carries the contagious bacteria. You need to see your doctor so they can prescribe you an anti-biotic.Once you're on a treatment plan, it's important that you monitor the area for the next week.
If a typical bug bite begins to form oozing blisters or there's pain and redness in the area with increased swelling, you need to see a doctor.
Resisting the urge the scratch an insect bite can be hard but, it significantly reduces your risk of getting a staph infection. Don't try to poke, or squeeze an insect bite. Instead, keep the area clean and use an antihistamine like Benadryl to help the itching.