Rustics Jungle Gyms supplies outdoor play equipment designed and manufactured for the South African environment |
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Welcome to our February Newsletter. Summer means more outdoor play - and we believe it is impossible to get too much of it! But there are a few hazards, and one of those comes from the creatures we share the outdoors with. In this edition we highlight the most common types of bug bites a child could collect on the playground, how to recognise them and how to treat them. Beware there are pictures of spiders below! Happy Reading! |
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Summertime brings outdoor fun, but can also lead to run-ins with creepy crawlies. This month we’ve put together a short list of the biggest culprits of stings and bites, what to look out for and what to do. |
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What’s a normal reaction? Pain, redness and swelling around the site of a bee or wasp sting is normal. It will probably be itchy too. What can I do?
Remove the bee’s stinger as soon as possible. Scrape the stinger out with your fingernail, a credit card or other firm, flat object. It doesn’t matter which method you use — just act fast. Clean the area and apply ice for 20 minutes. You can then use calamine lotion or hydrocortisone cream to ease the itching. |
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When should I call the doctor?
You should also take your child to the if they develop a large rash or extensive swelling around the bee sting, or if swelling and pain last longer than three days. If your child has an allergy to bee stings they may develop the following symptoms :
• Hives.
• Swelling (face, throat or mouth).
• Wheezing or difficulty swallowing.
• Restlessness or anxiety.
• Rapid pulse.
• Dizziness or loss of consciousness.
Get emergency treatment ASAP. While severe allergic reactions aren’t that common, they can lead to anaphylactic shock, cardiac arrest and unconsciousness in 10 minutes or less. This type of reaction may be life-threatening or even fatal. |
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What’s a normal reaction? Itching, swelling and red lumps are typical — but welts may vary in size from barely noticeable to near tennis ball-sized. Although quite pesky, mosquito bites are rarely serious. What can I do?
Most mosquito bites don’t require any treatment but try to encourage children not to scratch them. When should I call the doctor?
If children scratch, bites may become infected. Signs of infection include: • Swelling at the site of the bite.
• Yellowish drainage or crusting over the bite.
• Warm to the touch or fever.
• Muscle weakness. |
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What’s a normal reaction?
Spiders get a bad rap. A spider bite does not mean instant death – in most cases adults only need a painkiller, antihistamine and wound management. What can I do?
Try to catch the spider if you can do so safely, or at least take a photo to make identification and treatment easier. Wash the area with soap and water. You can apply an ice pack to help numb any sting and/or give an age-appropriate dose of an over-the-counter pain medication. Wounds should be kept clean, and antiseptic cream applied regularly. All spider bite victims must go for a booster tetanus injection. |
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When should I call the doctor? There are however, several toxic spiders in South Africa. Those which are most likely to be the cause of bites in people are the black and brown button spider and the violin spider. If bitten by a black or brown button spider, the child should be taken to hospital immediately. |
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Symptoms of a black or brown button spider bite:
Button spiders have neurotoxic venom, which means that it attacks the central nervous system, but only the black widow's venom is potentially lethal. Black button spider bites are very painful and symptoms will appear shortly after the bite. These symptoms include
• sweating,
• raised blood pressure,
• muscle pain and cramps,
• pain and weakness in the limbs,
• the face becomes contorted, flushed and sweaty with drooping eyelids, dilated pupils and swollen lips.
• In severe cases the body will contort and shake uncontrollably. Button spider bites are usually treated in hospital with anti-venom and patients are usually well enough to go home after 24 to 48 hours. The good news is that no deaths from button spiders have been recorded. Violin Spiders have cytotoxic venom, which means it destroys tissue. Bites are small and usually painless, but after a few hours the site forms a blister and necrosis develops, only affecting the skin.
Untreated bites can lead to infections, septicaemia and necrosis. If you see any skin lesions or ulcers not caused by known injury which gets worse, go to the doctor immediately. An antibiotic cream or round of antibiotics may be needed. |
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What’s a normal reaction? A small itchy, red mark which may develop into a small ulcer (2-5mm in diameter) with a black centre (eschar) where the bite occurred indicating that you have tick bite Fever - the symptoms will usually emerge about five to seven days after being bitten and include: • a small ulcer (2-5mm in diameter) with a black centre a black mark (eschar) where the bite occurred
• fever,
• severe headache,
• a general feeling of ill health
• sometimes a rash.
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What can I do?
If you discover a tick, carefully remove it immediately using a pair of fine-tipped tweezers. Ticks travel quickly once on the body, and like to hide in crevasses in the skin, such as armpits or the folds of the groin area. It is important to remove the head of the tick — not just the body. • grasp the tick as close to the skin’s surface as possible with a pair of tweezers.
• Pull upward with steady, even pressure. Try not to squash the tick. If the mouth-parts break off remove them with tweezers. If you are unable to remove the mouth easily with clean tweezers, leave it alone and let the skin heal.
• After removing the tick, thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol or soap and water.
• Never crush a tick with your fingers. Dispose of a live tick by putting it in alcohol, placing it in a sealed bag/container, wrapping it tightly in tape, or flushing it down the toilet. When should I call the doctor?
If you notice any of the symptoms of tick bite fever, visit your doctor, The eschar is not always visible, so the absence of an eschar shouldn’t lull you into a false sense of security Tick bite fever can be treated with antibiotics such as doxycycline.
Sources for this article:
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/diseases/african-tick-bite-fever https://www.mediclinicinfohub.co.za/tick-bite-fever/ |
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Whatever your playground requirements, we can help At Rustics Jungle Gyms we have been designing, manufacturing and installing wooden and metal jungle gyms since 2006. Our success is based on: - safety - our outdoor play equipment is built to South African National Standard by-laws
- delivering a quality product at a fair price
- building equipment that will last - our quality and built-in resilience to the harsh South African environment give a longer life span
- honesty, integrity and our willingness to go the extra mile to give you what you want
Don't take our word for it.... read our reviews |
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