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.
Las enfermedades transmitidas por insectos incluyen el virus del Nilo Occidental, el virus del Zika, el virus chikungunya, la enfermedad de Lyme, la malaria y más. Learn 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. Follow 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.
- Cubra los carritos y portabebés con una malla antimosquitos.
- 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 doctor.
Contact your child's doctor if they have been bitten in the last two weeks and experience any of these symptoms:
- Fiebre
- Dolor de cabeza.
- Sarpullido
- Cansancio
- Dolor articular
- Dolor muscular
Learn more about how to identify bug bites and stings in children and treat them.
What are the most common insect-borne diseases?
Virus del Nilo Occidental
El virus del Nilo Occidental se transmite a través de la picadura de un mosquito infectado. 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:
- Dolores corporales.
- Diarrea
- Cansancio o debilidad
- Fiebre
- Dolor de cabeza.
- Dolor articular
- Sarpullido
- Vómitos
Obtenga más información sobre el virus del Nilo Occidental de los CDC.
Virus del Zika
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.
Los síntomas del virus del Zika pueden incluir lo siguiente:
- Fiebre
- Dolor articular
- Sarpullido
- Conjuntivitis
Obtenga más información sobre el virus del Zika de los CDC.
Virus chikungunya
El virus chikungunya también se transmite a través de la picadura de un mosquito infectado. La mayoría de las personas infectadas con el virus chikungunya desarrollan síntomas de tres a siete días después de ser picadas.
Symptoms of Chikungunya can include:
- Fiebre
- Dolor de cabeza.
- Hinchazón y dolor articulares
- Dolor muscular
- Sarpullido
Obtenga más información sobre el virus chikungunya de los CDC.
Enfermedad de Lyme
Lyme disease is the most common insect-borne illness in the U.S., and it's 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.
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:
- Escalofríos
- Cansancio
- Fiebre
- Dolor de cabeza.
- Dolores musculares y articulares
- Sarpullido distintivo en el lugar de la garrapata
- Ganglios linfáticos hinchados
Obtenga más información sobre la enfermedad de Lyme de los CDC.
Malaria
La malaria es una enfermedad grave transmitida por mosquitos infectados por parásitos. 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:
- Fiebre
- Escalofríos
- Dolor de cabeza.
- Cansancio
- Náuseas.
- Vómitos
- Diarrea
Complications of malaria can include severe anemia, kidney failure and neurological manifestations.
Obtenga más información sobre la malaria de los CDC (Centros para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades).
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