Human Flea Treatment

Fleas are parasitic insects that thrive on blood sucked out from mammals and birds. It can be identified with its tiny sized wingless body with a blackish brown color. An adult flea is hardly 1-4 mm in length. Their piercing mouth helps them to draw out blood from the body of their host. There are different species of fleas. Human fleas is one of them which is also known as Pulex irritans. The carriers of its other species like cat fleas and dog fleas are the pets in your homes. While human fleas are mostly carried by humans and more commonly attack people who work in farms. They breed in large numbers in pigsties. So, human flea infestation also occurs to people who are regularly exposed to these areas. Human flea treatment is slightly more difficult than treating other flea bites because they just do not bite but also live on human hair. Hence they have to be eradicated from the hair completely.

Symptoms
The characteristics of fleas on humans are more or less the same. The only difference is that, unlike other flea attack, human flea bites are not just confined to the lower portion of the body and can be found all over the body. As soon as human fleas infest human hair, one start feeling itchiness and soreness on scalp. They also spread all over the head in no time. When the fleas bite the skin, a saliva is introduced to the surface that causes severe itching sensation. The effect of flea bites on children is more severe than in adults and lasts for longer duration. Then a few small, red bumps appear in a row on the skin surface that causes constant irritation. The itchy feeling intensifies with time. Later on, the hives take the form of blisters and get surrounded by a red halo. When they are scratched heavily, the skin gets broken and bleeding may occur. It may even lead to secondary skin infections and they become swollen and are tender to touch. Sometimes, when people become highly sensitive towards such bites, they may get allergy symptoms.

Treatment
The first step of treatment is to reduce skin irritation. For this, the area has to be disinfected with the help of antiseptic soap and cold water. Warm water should be strictly avoided as it aggravates itching. After cleaning up the area, ice needs to be applied on the bite spots. Then apply calamine lotion generously on the bites to control itchiness. When the fleas infestation is on hair, then it has to be treated with the help of a homemade human flea shampoo. To prepare it, one tablespoon of white vinegar is added to one cup of shampoo that you use regularly. Massage it all over the scalp thoroughly and leave it on the hair for 10-15 minutes. Then rinse off the hair properly with water. The acidic component of vinegar helps to kill the fleas.

If these home flea bites treatments fail to show results or there are signs of infection like pus discharge, then you must consult a doctor for treatment of flea bites on humans. They prescribe hydrocortisone or antihistamine creams for the treatment of skin irritation. Even though these anti-itch creams are available over-the-counter, it is better to consult a doctor and then use them. To treat allergies, antihistamine medicines are given for oral administration. Secondary infections need to be treated with the help of antibiotics.

How to Get Rid of Human Fleas?
The knowledge of how to treat flea bites is simply not enough. You have to get rid of these harmful creatures from the entire house. If you have pets in your home, take them to the veterinarian for treatment. They prescribe medicines for both oral administration and medicated lotions for topical application. Clearing up flea infestation in the home is a tough task because they lay eggs in all places of the house particularly on soft fabrics like carpet, upholstery furniture, pet bedding, mattresses, etc.

These things should be thoroughly vacuum cleaned regularly. Human flea repellent products are available in the form of sprays or 'flea bomb' and can be used for killing the fleas. Insecticides should be sprayed in outdoor areas. In case, the house is badly infested, you should take the help of professionals for flea control measures.

As you can see, human flea treatment involves not just treating the humans but getting rid of fleas from your surroundings as well. For this reason, you must prevent them from breeding inside the house. Spreading eucalyptus leaves all over the house can be extremely helpful in this regard. Sprinkling of borax powder on the carpet and soft fabrics can stop the fleas form laying eggs on them.