Infected Insect Bites

Insect bites or stings are not usually serious and get better in a few days. But sometimes they can become infected or cause a serious allergic reaction. Bites from some insects can also cause illnesses, such as Lyme Disease from ticks, Scabies from mites, and Malaria from mosquitoes in certain parts of the world. The lump may look red. It may be more difficult to see on black or brown skin, but you should be able to feel it.

The main symptoms of an insect bite or sting are:

• Pain where you were bitten or stung
• A small, swollen lump on the skin
• A mark on your skin where you were bitten or stung.

A pharmacist can advise you about medicines that can help ease the symptoms of a bite or sting, such as:

• Antihistamines
• Steroid creams
• Painkillers
• Repellents (Link selling) to reduce the chances of  bites happening again in the future

The bite or sting should get better in a few days and the pharmacist will remind the patient / customer that. there are some things they can do to ease their symptoms and reduce infection including:

• Even if there's nothing in your skin, or something has been removed, to wash skin with soap and water to help lower the chance of infection
• Putting an ice pack wrapped in a cloth or a clean cloth soaked in cold water on the bite or sting for at least 20 minutes, if it's swollen
• Keeping the area raised if possible
• Taking painkillers e.g. Ibuprofen and Paracetamol if the sting is painful
• Use antihistamines e.g. Clorphenamine to relieve any itching (but to not use antihistamine cream if you there are caterpillar hairs on the skin)
• Use a Hydrocortisone cream to reduce itching and swelling
• Not scratch the bite or sting, as it could get infected
• Avoid home remedies to treat the bite or sting

Under the Pharmacy 1st scheme if the Insect bite is confirmed to be infected, and dependant on the patient themselves, the pharmacist may prescribe oral antibiotics Flucloxacillin, Erythromycin or Clarithromycin if certain criteria are met e.g.

• The patient falls into the correct age bracket for the prescribing
• The patient has the correct signs and symptoms to meet the prescribing criteria
• They do not fall into the excluded categories
• The registered healthcare professional should also have evidence of competence in the clinical skills and knowledge covered in the Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education (CPPE) Pharmacy First Service self-assessment framework. This evidence can be found at the following link CPPE Pharmacy First. Numarknet has partnered with CIG our training provider and a downloadable document with links to the CIG website and enroling on the external CIG training can all be found at the following link ECG Pharmacy First . The document is called ECG Pharmacy First Training Booking Guide.