Can Humans Get Fleas?

If you have a cat or a dog at your place, you might be knowing that flea infestation is a commonest health issue to concern about. These tiny creatures are abundantly present in the atmosphere and love to reside in animal furs, especially. While grooming, there are high chances that your pet might get infected and cause nuisance. They multiply in great numbers and hence their control becomes mandatory in such a situation.

Before getting into the answer, we have to first of all understand what fleas exactly are. Well, fleas have been known to exist for about 55 million years now and are characterized by tiny structure and bristles. The number of bristles and the physical appearance varies according to the species concerned and they feed on blood of animals and humans. There is only one specie namely Pulex irritans which resides in humans preferably inside hairy parts. Research says that the fleas infecting humans prefer staying in the pubic hair than normal hair. But for your information, it can reside in other animals as well and hence the infection is mostly the result of transmission.

Leaving the one mentioned above, rest of the million species love to reside on animal hair and fur coats. These are extremely minute and to know by yourself whether they have infested your dear pet would require you to pay close attention to its behavior. Generally, flea infestation is followed by lot of skin irritation and scratching and hence keep a watch in this regard.

Fleas generally prefer animal blood over human and hence there are less possible chances of you getting the infection. However, if the flea is supposedly acting as a vector, then you might get infected with animal infections say rabies or plague to name a few. So, basically, you could call the fleas, vectors for transmitting the infection to the human body. Simply put, if you are in too much of contact, you are bound to get the fleas onto you. Though the fleas won't be harmful, they would certainly cause threats like skin rashes or allergies due to flea bites, if not taken care of at the right time.

Now, imagine that your pet has been infested with the fleas. Then what? First of all, don't panic, make sure the infection has occurred through fleas. Then, go for the appropriate treatment measures as suggested by the vet. Just take the necessary precautions and there you are - safe and sound!