Do you have a rash after an insect bite or sting? What should you do?
July 6, 2013 | 15,00 EUR | answered by Dr. med. Frauke Gehring
Good evening,
My 4-year-old son's cheek has looked the same since Tuesday - except that the small wound appeared on Wednesday. On Wednesday we also went to the pediatric emergency service because I was worried - partly because of the red stripe under the redness. The doctor said it was probably an insect bite and that the child must have scratched it - but he didn't scratch at all! The conclusion was that the doctor said we shouldn't do anything. I have been applying Combuduron cream for a few days now. It's a slightly cooling gel. The redness hasn't decreased at all. The redness doesn't hurt. Just now I found an unknown flying object (dead) on the windowsill in his room. It's not a fly - maybe a type of horsefly. What should I do with the child now? Doing nothing seems too little to me somehow. Especially after reading that Lyme disease is often transmitted by horseflies.
Thank you for your help.
Good day,
Unfortunately, I do not have a photo of the findings you are describing. If you would like, please send me one to dr.hoellering@web.de.
Lyme disease is only rarely transmitted by horseflies, almost always in our region by tick bites. The characteristic bullseye rash appears 2 to 6 weeks after the bite and should not be confused with the redness from the bite itself; the bullseye rash is much larger, several centimeters in size, and darker at the edges than in the center.
I understand that you feel like "nothing" is being done, but it is the right approach to simply observe the wound after the initial treatment with Comboduron. If it heals slowly, that's good. If it becomes infected, the pediatrician should take a look again. If a new, larger rash appears in 10 to 30 days, it is also important to rule out Lyme disease. However, this is extremely unlikely as horseflies have only rarely been found to transmit the disease.
Warm regards, Dr. Höllering, Specialist in Internal and General Medicine
