Protect your family from insect-borne illnesses

According to a report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the number of disease cases from mosquito, tick and flea bites doubled from 2001 to 2023.

Insect-borne illnesses include West Nile virus, Zika virus, Chikungunya virus, Lyme disease, malaria and more. Natasha Hanners, M.D., Infectious Disease specialist at Children’s Health and Assistant Professor at UT Southwestern outlines the signs and symptoms of these illnesses and the best ways to protect your family.

How can you prevent insect bites and diseases from infected bugs?

You can't change living in an area with a lot of insects or more cases of insect-borne diseases. Dr. Hanners recommends following these steps to protect your family from potentially dangerous bites:

• Use insect repellent when you're outside. Learn more about safe and effective insect repellants for kids from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

• Wear closed-toe shoes, long-sleeved shirts and pants when you're in areas with a lot of trees or grasses.

• Avoid using scented soaps or sweet-smelling perfumes and lotions that can attract bugs.

• Treat clothing and gear with insect repellant. Watch this video on how to treat clothing with 0.5% permethrin spray.

• Cover strollers and baby carriers with mosquito netting.

• Check your pets for ticks and fleas. Learn more about how to prevent ticks and fleas.

• Repair holes in window screens to keep bugs outside.

• Empty or cover outdoor items that can collect standing water, like empty flowerpots or bird baths, which attract mosquitos.

When should you take a child to the doctor after a bug bite?

It's common for bug bites to be itchy and uncomfortable for kids. But some symptoms can be a sign that you may need to contact your child's pediatrician.

Dr. Hanners recommends contacting your child's pediatrician if they have been bitten in the last two weeks and experience any of these symptoms:

• Fever

• Headache

• Rash

• Fatigue

• Joint pain

• Muscle pain

Learn more about how to identify bug bites and stings in children and treat them.

What insect-borne diseases should parents know about?

West Nile virus

West Nile virus is spread through the bite of an infected mosquito. It is the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the U.S. Most people who are bitten by an infected mosquito will not develop symptoms. But if symptoms do appear, they can develop from two to 14 days after the time of the bite.

Symptoms of West Nile can include:

• Body aches

• Diarrhea

• Fatigue and weakness

• Fever

• Headache

• Joint pain

• Rash

• Vomiting

Learn more about the West Nile virus from the CDC.

Zika virus

Zika virus primarily spreads through the bite of an infected mosquito species known as Aedes. Zika can also spread from mother to child through pregnancy and be transmitted from person to person through sexual activity.

Symptoms of Zika virus can develop three to 14 days from the time of infection.

Symptoms of Zika virus can include:

• Fever

• Joint pain

• Rash

• Red eyes (conjunctivitis)

Learn more about the Zika virus from the CDC.

Chikungunya virus

The Chikungunya virus is also spread through the bite of an infected mosquito. Most people infected with the Chikungunya virus develop symptoms three to seven days after being bitten.

Symptoms of Chikungunya can include:

• Fever

• Headache

• Joint pain and swelling

• Muscle pain

• Rash

Learn more about the Chikungunya virus from the CDC.

Lyme disease

Lyme disease is the most common insect-borne illness in the U.S., and the bacteria causing it, Borrelia burgdorferi, is transmitted by ticks.

When it's not diagnosed and treated, Lyme disease can lead to serious, long-term complications that affect the heart, joints and nervous system. “It is exceedingly unlikely to acquire Lyme disease in Texas, but you should be aware of it especially if traveling in the northeast, the upper midwest and the Pacific northwest,” says Dr. Hanners.

The symptoms of being bitten by a tick carrying this illness typically appear three to 30 days after the bites.

Symptoms of Lyme disease can include:

• Chills

• Fatigue

• Fever

• Headache

• Muscle and joint aches

• Distinctive rash at the site of the tick

• Swollen lymph nodes

Learn more about Lyme disease from the CDC.

There are similar illnesses and related infections you can acquire in Texas, e.g. Borrelia, relapsing fevers and Southern tick-associated rash illness (STARI). Thankfully, these do not appear to have the same chronic or long-term complications as Lyme disease. However, the other Borrelia species of relapsing fevers can cause false positive results on Lyme disease testing, causing confusion if these aren’t considered. See Relapsing fevers and STARI from the CDC.

Rickettsial diseases

One of the most dangerous tick-borne illnesses is Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF). Untreated cases can be fatal. RMSF is caused by the bacteria Rickettsia rickettsiae, and it can be acquired in multiple areas of the U.S., including Texas.

The symptoms of being bitten by a tick carrying this illness typically appear 3-14 days after the bite (7 days on average).

Symptoms of RMSF can include:

• Fever

• Headache

• Nausea or vomiting

• Stomach pain

• Muscle pain

• Lack of appetite

• Rash that often starts at ankles and wrists and moves inward (usually appears several days after initial symptoms).

Learn more about RMSF from the CDC.

Alpha-gal syndrome

A bite from a lone star tick can trigger alpha-gal syndrome, a rare allergy to red meat and other products made from mammals.

Symptoms usually appear 3 to 6 hours after eating foods like beef, pork or lamb. They can include hives, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting or, in severe cases, a life-threatening allergic reaction called anaphylaxis.

Although alpha-gal syndrome is uncommon, lone star ticks are found throughout Texas and much of the southeastern United States. The best way to prevent alpha-gal syndrome is to avoid tick bites by using insect repellent, wearing protective clothing and checking for ticks after spending time outdoors.

Malaria

Malaria is a serious disease spread by parasite-infected mosquitos. In the U.S., there are about 2,000 diagnosed cases of malaria each year. These cases usually occur in people who traveled to other countries where malaria is more common.

Symptoms of malaria can include:

• Fever

• Chills

• Headache

• Fatigue

• Nausea

• Vomiting

• Diarrhea

Complications of malaria can include severe anemia, kidney failure and neurological manifestations.

Learn more about malaria from the CDC.

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