Human Flea Bites

Fleas are nothing but tiny blood sucking parasites that live on the animals. There are different fleas that live on different animals. Some of the most common fleas humans encounter with are cat fleas, dog fleas, and human fleas. However, cat and dog fleas do not live on humans but do bite them. On the other hand, human fleas live and feed on humans. Human fleas known as pulex irritans can be found on other animals as well, especially pigs as they breed abundantly in pigsties. These fleas are found in farms and gardens, etc. But with the changing lifestyle, humans rarely get affected with flea bites. The only way for fleas to affect humans is through the pet animals. So it is important to keep you pets clean, hygienic, and flea free to protect your own health.

Flea Bite Symptoms
Bites by any kind of fleas generally look the same. The symptoms of flea bite differ from person to person as per the sensitivity of their skin. You can detect the type of flea generally from the location of the bite. For example, dog fleas or cat fleas generally bite on the legs or ankles whereas human fleas can bite on any part of the body. These flea bites are usually mistaken as skin rash, skin allergy, mosquito bite or as measles. There are no fixed symptoms for these bites as people can immediately feel the mild sting that is quite similar to the ant bite. The bites are red, hard, and slightly raised. In some cases, the bites are accompanied with swelling and severe itching that may result in bleeding. Some people also suffer from allergic reactions that are caused by flea saliva injected in the skin during feeding. Human flea bite results in a small red spot surrounded by a red halo. If you observe the bite closely you can also observe the single puncture point in the center of the red spot. Children are more sensitive and vulnerable to flea bites than adults and hence are more adversely affected by fleas.

Flea Bite Treatments
It is quite easy to treat the flea bites on human with the common flea home remedies. First of all you have to wash the affected area properly and keep it clean. Avoid scratching the area as it can lead to swelling and bleeding. You can apply a cold pack made of ice and calamine lotion to reduce swelling and itching sensation. You may choose to apply specialized medicated creams such as steroid which are easily available in the local drug store without any prescription. If you do not feel comfortable even after this, then you may take some oral pills such as anti histamine, etc., that stop the itching and discomfort faster and promote healing. If the home remedies for fleas do not work and the problem still persists then you may have to visit the doctor. But it is important that you prevent yourself from getting flea bites again and for that eliminating all the human fleas on your body and around the house is very important.

How to Get Rid of Human Fleas?
You must kill all the fleas in house and for this purpose you can spread the flea control powder in the house. You can take the suggestions from the pest control experts in this regard. Apart from this killing fleas in carpets and furry objects in the house everyday is also essential. If you have pets in the house then use flea repellent powder or sprays that are easily available in the market. Now it comes to you. You have to clean yourself thoroughly to get rid of fleas that are hiding on various parts of your body and hair. One of the best and effective way of getting rid of fleas naturally is hot water tub bath. All you have to do is soak your body in the bathtub for half an hour. Let the water be very hot and add some dish detergent and lemon extract in the water that would kill the adult fleas as well as larvae. At the same time, apply some standard shampoo and leave the shampoo laden hair like that for half an hour. After that, take a fine comb and brush your hair from roots to tips so that fleas are removed. Each time before you brush your hair dip the comb in the liquid detergent solution so that fleas are killed. Once you clean the hair and body thoroughly, rub your skin with hard towel paying special attention to the areas between your toes, nape, behind and above the ears, and back of the knees, etc. Follow the above kind of bath for 2-3 times every week till you get free of human fleas.

I hope this information was resourceful for you. But it is important that you maintain cleanliness and hygiene to keep the human fleas at bay.