sandflies, not mosquitoes

Soon after reporting for work this morning, I walked over to our company clinic that was nearby to see a docter for my bites. It kept me up all nite too because it was so itchy and painful and swollen. The docter thought it could be sandflies and gave me a med to take in the morning, another to take at nite, plus a cream to apply twice a day. Once the nurse passed me the medicine, I took it right on the spot. (ya..i was that desperate for the itch to stop)

Anyway, I googled up sandflies(i should know more about the enemy rite?) and this is what it says:

A sand flea bite is most likely to occur at dawn or in the evening and night time hours on the beach or other sandy areas that are near water. Wetlands, swamplands, creeks, and lakebeds are other areas where sand fleas can be found. Sand fleas generally stay close to their breeding ground. They never wander more than 350 feet or about 100 meters from their breeding area. Sand flea swarms produce a high-pitched wine. Therefore, if you are on the beach and you hear something like this, it is best to move or risk a sand flea bite.

The fleas will jump onto the feet, ankles, legs, and then bite. They are very persistent and quite annoying. Because of their small size, a sand flea bite occurs before individuals even know any sand fleas were in the area. Like a mosquito, a sand flea bites to suck blood. It is the female sand fly that bites. It does this in order to get the protein from the blood that is necessary for its egg laying. The sand flea bite involves the injection of saliva to thin the blood, making it easier for the flea to take blood from its victim. This same saliva triggers the body’s immune system to react.

Despite its size, the bite from a sand flea is quite painful. In fact, most of the time the bite is more painful than one from a typically larger mosquito. In addition to pain, the bite causes a large welt or rashes on the skin that can persist for several days. A fever may also occur. The welts or hives produced from bites are very itchy. Scratching the bitten areas should be avoided in order to prevent the development of an infection. Scratching will also prolong the symptoms of swelling, itch, and skin redness.

Sandflies bites are best avoided. It takes days or weeks to heal. The itchiness never go away and you scratch yourself until you bleed. They are often found near sea shores. It only take minutes and you won’t notice their bites until its too late.

Sandflies bites are intensely itchy and last for days. Bleeding and infection occurs when a person scratch non-stop.

Damn, that explains why it itches so much that I wanted to cry at times. It's terrible, I tell you. Scratching myself in my sleep until I woke up. .*sob* I am resigned to the fact that it might leave a mark, but well, it just go away in time.