A heat wave causes a spike in calls for insect bites at the NHS

Although many of us enjoy the mild temperatures of this year's heatwave, unfortunately for some, biting insects are thriving too.

The calls to the NHS 111 help line about insect bites are almost double what they are normally at this time of year.

And senior doctors report cases of hospitalized patients for infected fly bites.

Despite the heat, experts say that stagnant water, such as wading pools, where insects thrive, should be removed.

Dr. Nick Scriven, president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said: We went to the hospital for a bite, but we have recently seen a few who needed treatment with antibiotics, which is very unusual.

"Some of them were infected with horseflies.In fact, they give one of the most naughty stings, because they take a piece of you.

"They can be very painful and can take a long time to heal, which can make them infected and require antibiotics, in the worst case they can cause cellulitis, an infection of the skin."

According to the data from Public Health England on calls to NHS 111, about 9,000 people called the line of assistance on July 8, about double the base figure built from historical data.

. most of the months of June and July were hot, temperatures peaked between 24 June and 9 July, while 28 degrees were recorded daily in the UK, which averages only twice a decade.

Prof. Adam Hart, an entomologist at 3 9, University of Gloucestershire, said that the anoraks were rising, although there is no evidence to confirm it.

"We had a wet spring, and then we have this nice warm weather which is a great opportunity for many insects to thrive."

Dr. Daniel Whitmore of the Insects Division of the National History Museum agrees: "Aphids like warm weather in general, so that they can become more active around breeding sites and breeding grounds. farms in hot weather.

the time we expose ourselves to more bites and become more attractive to flies.

"From personal experience, I noticed that the probability of being bitten increases after a dive in the pool (or stream or river): wet skin probably helps the flies to detect us. "

relatively painless and quickly disappearing from themselves, the horse's sting is significantly more painful and more likely to To be infected

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Natali Bungay, of the British Pest Control Association (BPCA) advises the public to be sensitive to pests.

"Fly bites are particularly painful because their main source of food is cattle, which has a limited ability to keep the fly away." This means that they can take their food without having to worry about giving a painful sting, as animals are usually powerless to stop them.

"This is as opposed to mosquitoes, which extract blood by a painless bite."

As horseflies and mosquitoes rely on wetlands and swamps to breed, the BPCA advises the public to remove stagnant water near their homes. , if possible.

If he's bitten, Dr. Scriven advises paracetamol and calamine lotion to reduce the itching.

After a fly bite, the advice is to consult a doctor if the skin turns red and you develop fever

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