Treatment for a leech bite
Most leech bites are harmless, usually, the leech can be removed easily without the need for medical attention. If it’s more serious than average you should, of course, call your doctor’s attention to it, a doctor can use medical instruments to remove leeches in hard-to-reach places.
Once your doctor removes the leech and cleans the wound, the treatment approach will depend on the wound and your reaction to it. Your doctor might suggest:
- Specialized bandage to cover and protect the wound, to avoid infection.
- Antibiotic medications, creams, or ointment to stop an infection
- Prescription-strength antihistamines to stop the allergic reaction
- Ice or cool compress to help with any swelling
How to recognize a leech
Leeches are similar to worms, they are long, tube-shaped animals and stay within a few millimeters and could be up to 10 inches.
Most leeches have eyes that you may be able to spot on the top of their bodies and round mouth with several rows of teeth. Leeches can either be spotted, striped, or solidly colored. Leeches have two suckers on each end of their bodies, these suckers are used to grasp feed and move around. A more basic and general description of a leech is that they are;
- Wide
- Flat
- Segmented
- Dark in color
Conclusion
Leeches bite may or may not the painful, either way, it should not be nurtured and should be treated immediately. Following the steps, you should remove the leech by yourself; however, if you can, you should immediately visit your doctor. Also, if there is an infection and you notice signs like fever, pain, redness, or discharge from the wound, you should immediately see your doctor.