Mini asked 7 years ago
Hi,
Is there a way you can make articles on health hazard of flea bites? I am pretty concerned particularly about :
Whether they spread worms to humans as they do to pets;
Since there are newly death cases caused by pest! ;
In case of a immun human that doesn’t show any reaction to flea bites, i.e. they might have infestation without even knowing it. How hazardous is this from a health perspective?
thank you!
Adam Retzer Staff answered 7 years ago
Mini,
I plan to research and write about flea transmitted diseases in-depth. I apologize I haven’t gotten to it yet.
The risk of humans getting a tapeworm from fleas is very low. For this to happen, the person would have to swallow a tape-worm infested flea. It’s more common in pets because they groom themselves with their mouths, and sometimes swallow the fleas they dislodge.
I’m not sure what death cases you’re talking about. If you mean the fleas that have been found carrying plague, these aren’t flea species that infest dogs and cats. They are rodent fleas, and aren’t commonly found in domestic environments. I believe the virus has been found most commonly on fleas of prairie dogs. There is still some risk though, particularly if a cat or dog plays with a dead rodent.
It’s extremely rare for humans to gain immunity to flea bites. In order for this to happen, they would have to be regularly bitten by fleas for years, until their immune system no longer reacts. Immunity may not be reached even after this long.
Hope this helps,
Adam
