Symptoms appear 2 to 14 days after the bite and can include headaches, body aches, fever, vomiting, diarrhea, and a skin rash. Check out the CDC’s Zika Travel Information page to find out more about travel warnings and advisories.įor 2019 (the most recent year for which data is available), a total of 958 cases of the West Nile virus were reported across 47 states in the United States, according to the CDC. But newborns of pregnant women infected with Zika have an alarming rate of microcephaly birth defects. It's usually a harmless bug bite but can sometimes cause a serious illness, such as the Zika virus (particularly harmful in pregnant women), West Nile virus, malaria, or eastern equine encephalitis (EEE). For most people, Zika causes a brief, flulike illness. Some people with severe allergies to bug bites need to have allergy medicine, including epinephrine (such as an EpiPen), with them always.Ī mosquito bite appears as an itchy, round red or pink skin bump. If you have known allergies to bug bites, talk with your physician about emergency care. Learning to identify a bug bite by how it looks and feels will help you know whether to treat the bug bite at home or seek immediate medical care. No matter what type of bug bite you have, it is good to know what bit you. When traveling, find out what shots or medicines you may need and any precautions you can take.

(The EPA has published an online tool to help you determine which one is appropriate in many varying conditions.)

Use an insect repellent that’s been registered with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

How can you prevent bug bites? Here are some tips from the CDC: In a report posted May 4, 2018, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cautioned Americans that diseases from mosquito, tick, and flea bites have soared in recent years. Two exceptions are bedbugs (tiny mites that live in and near beds) and lice, which spread through contact with an infected person, a comb, or clothing.Ĭertain bug bites can also spread illnesses, such as Zika virus, West Nile virus, Chikungunya virus, Dengue fever, and yellow fever (all transmitted by mosquitoes) Lyme disease (from ticks) Rocky Mountain spotted fever (from dogs or wood ticks) and Chagas disease (from kissing bugs). Most bug bites are transmitted directly from the insect and occur outdoors. RELATED: Everything You Need to Know About Bug Bites and Disease

Ticks can carry Lyme disease, and their bite leaves a rash that looks like an expanding bull’s-eye.

Spider bites cause minor symptoms like red skin, swelling, and pain at the site or very serious symptoms that need emergency care.

Mosquitoes leave a raised, itchy pink skin bump or in rare cases a severe allergic reaction.

Flea bites leave an itchy welt on the skin, often on the ankles and legs.

Bee stings cause a red skin bump with white around it.

Bedbugs leave a small bite mark on the skin that is red and itchy or in rare cases causes a serious allergic reaction.

Some bug bites also feature blisters or welts. For example, most bug bites cause red bumps with pain, itching, or burning.

Symptoms of bug bites provide clues to the cause and severity. Others, like poisonous spider bites, require immediate emergency medical care. But some bug bites and stings, like those from fire ants, wasps, hornets, and bees, may cause intense pain or even a serious allergic reaction. Most bug bites and stings from common insects are harmless and heal quickly. Getting a bug bite can be a creepy experience, especially if you don’t know what tiny creature left you with that red, throbbing welt on your skin.

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