Being bitten can be annoying, painful, and even dangerous depending on what is doing the biting. Bites should always be avoided if possible. There are several steps you can take to prevent bites from insects, animals, and even people.
Preventing Insect Bites
Insects like mosquitos, ticks, bees, wasps, and ants can deliver irritating and sometimes harmful bites. Here are some tips for avoiding insect bites:
- Use insect repellent – Products containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, or oil of lemon eucalyptus can be applied to exposed skin or clothing. Follow instructions carefully.
- Wear protective clothing – Wearing long sleeves, pants, socks, and closed toe shoes when outside can create a barrier against insects.
- Avoid peak biting times – Many insects are most active in the early morning and evening. Limit time outside during those high risk periods.
- Control standing water – Empty any containers holding standing water around your home to avoid mosquito breeding grounds.
- Stay away from bee and wasp nests – Watch for nests around your home and avoid disturbing them.
- Perform tick checks – Carefully check your body for ticks after being outside. Remove any ticks promptly.
- Use nets and screens – Sleep under mosquito netting and make sure windows have tight screens.
Preventing Animal Bites
Bites from mammals like bats, raccoons, foxes, coyotes, rats, cats, dogs, and other animals can damage the skin and transmit diseases. Follow these precautions:
- Leave wildlife alone – Never approach or try to handle wild animals. Teach children not to touch stray animals.
- Be cautious around stray pets – Avoid dogs and cats that are loose or unknown. Do not attempt to pet or feed them.
- Read animal body language – Learn to recognize signals that a dog or other pet is frightened or feeling hostile. Back away slowly if it seems agitated or threatened.
- Socialize pets – Well-socialized dogs and cats are less likely to bite. Expose them to a variety of people and other animals in a safe, controlled way during puppyhood and kittenhood.
- Train pets – Teach dogs basic obedience cues like “sit” and “stay.” Train them not to jump up on people. Never play aggressively with your hands.
- Supervise interactions – Watch closely when pets interact with young children. Do not leave babies or toddlers alone with any animal.
- Keep immunizations current – Make sure dogs, cats, ferrets, and horses receive regular rabies vaccinations. Vaccinate barn cats as well.
Avoiding Human Bites
While rare, human bites do occur. They carry a high risk of infection. Here is how to avoid them:
- Use care with babies – Never put your fingers in an infant’s mouth except when feeding. Use a teething ring if they tend to bite during breastfeeding.
- Do not play bite – Do not allow children to pretend to bite others. Never bite them yourself in a playful manner.
- Watch for aggression – If a person seems overly upset or aggressive, avoid very close contact with them.
- De-escalate tension – If a situation starts to get heated, use a calm voice and reasonable words to defuse the situation.
- Walk away – If aggression continues to mount, politely excuse yourself and leave the area.
- Get help – Call for assistance from security staff, police officers, or other responsible adults if you feel threatened.
Treating Bites
If you do suffer a bite, prompt first aid can help minimize complications:
- Wash – Use mild soap and warm running water to gently wash the bite site.
- Disinfect – Apply an antiseptic like iodine or rubbing alcohol after washing.
- Bandage – Cover bite with sterile gauze or a clean cloth.
- Elevate – If a limb is bitten, keep it elevated above the heart if possible to reduce swelling.
- Apply cold pack – Place an ice pack or cold compress over the bandage for 10 minutes at a time to relieve pain and inflammation.
- Monitor – Check the bite site daily for signs of infection like increasing redness, swelling, warmth, oozing, red streaks, lymph node swelling, fever, or chills.
- Get medical care – See a doctor promptly if infection develops. Also contact a doctor for any bite that breaks the skin from an unfamiliar dog, cat, bat or wild animal.
- Report – Notify authorities if bitten by an aggressive dog, stray animal or wild mammal like a fox or raccoon. Give information to locate the animal if possible.
Infection Prevention
Bites that break the skin are prone to infection. Follow these tips to reduce the risks:
- Control bleeding – Stop any bleeding by applying firm, direct pressure over the wound with a clean cloth.
- Do not delay first aid – Wash and disinfect bites promptly after they occur.
- Consider antibiotics – Consult a healthcare provider about taking preventive antibiotics if the bite is from an animal, human or source of unknown origin.
- Recognize infection signs – Look for spreading redness, pus, foul odor, warmth at the bite site or red streaking along veins.
- Complete treatment – Finish all antibiotics prescribed for a bite infection even after it starts feeling better.
- Leave wounds open – In general, bite wounds heal best when left uncovered once initial first aid is complete.
- Get medical help – Seek prompt medical treatment at the first sign of infection.
Preventing Disease Transmission
Bites can sometimes spread illnesses like rabies, tetanus, malaria, Lyme disease, and others. Take these precautions after high risk bites:
- Identify the animal – Try to capture or remember a detailed description of any animal that bites you.
- Report to authorities – Notify animal control, police, or health officials regarding stray dogs, bats, raccoons, foxes or other high risk biting mammals.
- See a doctor – Consult with a doctor or visit an emergency room after any bites from potentially rabid wildlife or unprovoked attacks by unknown dogs or cats.
- Consider rabies treatment – If the risk of rabies transmission is significant, you may need a series of vaccine shots called post-exposure prophylaxis.
- Get tetanus booster – Make sure your tetanus/diphtheria vaccination is current within the past 10 years after any animal bite that breaks the skin.
- Take malaria medication – If traveling in a malaria-endemic region, take prescribed malaria prevention medicine after any mosquito bites.
Risk Factors for Bites
Certain situations, conditions and behaviors tend to increase the chances of getting bitten. Be extra vigilant about prevention measures when:
- Outdoors – Especially in wooded, wet or grassy rural settings.
- Around animals – Particularly stray dogs, feral cats, wildlife, horses and livestock.
- In crowds – Where knocks and shoves may provoke hostile responses.
- In high-crime areas – Where assaults are more likely to involve human bites.
- Around babies – Who may reflexively bite during breastfeeding or teething irritation.
- With strangers – Be cautious until establishing familiarity and trust.
- In aggressive disputes – Where emotions are heated and physical retaliation more likely.
- Traveling abroad – Research destinations with higher risks of insect or animal bites.
Conclusion
While it is difficult to avoid bites 100% of the time, following suitable precautions can greatly reduce your risk. When in environments or situations where bites are more likely, take preventive steps like using repellents and protective clothing and being aware of your surroundings. Promptly treat any bites that do occur using first aid guidelines and monitor closely for signs of infection. Talk to your doctor about any bite concerns and seek medical care right away if you have symptoms of infection after a bite.