Many people are poisoned and have contact dermatitis caused by ants but mistakenly think it is shingles.

Increasing number of poisoning cases due to contact with ants

Ms. MM (32 years old, in Ho Chi Minh City) said that although she was vigilant, cleaned the house regularly, and sprayed ant spray, her 2-year-old son was still attacked by ants. She had to take him to the doctor to get a cream to apply.

"I was very worried when I saw the burn marks on my child's body. Luckily, I went to the doctor early so he gave me some medicine to apply. A few days later, the marks started to dry up," said Ms. M.

Ms. NA (30 years old, living in Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City) said that recently, in the area around her house, there have been three-banded ants. Worried that the ants would attack her 4-month-old daughter, she fenced off the area with cotton and closed the door tightly at night. However, she recently discovered blisters on her child's hands that resemble dermatitis caused by three-banded ants.

Skin lesions in children after exposure to ants

Doctor Thach Van Toan, Department of Dermatology - Dermatology Aesthetics, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City said that currently the number of patients coming to the Dermatology Department for contact dermatitis with ants fluctuates around 70-100 patients per week.

"This increase has started since the beginning of the rainy season until now, compared to the same period last year, the number of patients has also increased according to this cycle. The three-cavity ants often live on the edges of fields, around stubble, lawns, near water bodies, vegetable fields, and in areas under construction. When the rice fields are harvested, they often fly into high-rise apartment buildings where there is light to eat brown planthoppers, houseflies, etc.," Dr. Toan shared.

Similarly, Master - Doctor Nguyen Thi Quy, Traditional Medicine Dermatology - Aesthetics Clinic, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City - Facility 3, said that from August to the end of September, the number of patients coming to the clinic due to ants increased dramatically.

"Notably, many patients who come into contact with the three-cavity ant mistake it for Herpes, Zona (a skin infection caused by a virus), so they buy antiviral drugs to use themselves," Dr. Quy shared.

Symptoms of contact dermatitis caused by ants

According to Dr. Toan, symptoms of skin blistering, vesicles, or pustules can appear 12 to 36 hours after exposure to toxins. If left untreated, the inflammation will progress to ulcers, at which point these lesions will have a long straight line shape, or a Y shape depending on how the toxin comes into contact with the skin. If not treated properly or treated incorrectly, it will lead to concave scars, dark scars, and depigmented scars, especially on the face, which greatly affects aesthetics.

In the body of the three-compartment ant, there is Pederine, which can cause burning and skin burns like the cangtadin of the caterpillar and the phosphorus in the "god". The poison from the ant's body can be accidentally broken by hands or other body parts and cause damage at that location.

A case of contact dermatitis caused by the three-cavity ant visited the University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City - Facility 3

Doctor Quy said that these lesions are easily confused with other diseases such as Shingles, Herpes,... slowing down the treatment process and causing unwanted complications when diagnosed late.

The ants do not bite or sting, but accidental touching or pressing on the skin of the ants will stimulate the release of coelomic fluid containing pederin, a strong blistering agent that causes a skin reaction about 24 hours after contact. If not washed off immediately, the chemical will lead to dermatitis with red lesions.

How to prevent and handle when in contact with ants

Doctor Toan said that if we discover ants in our house or come into contact with them, we need to pay attention to the following:

• The ants do not attack, but humans accidentally come into contact with the toxins in their bodies, causing allergic dermatitis. If you find ants, gently move them away from the furniture (use a piece of paper for the ants to crawl onto, then move them to another place)...
• At night, when living or working under lights, you need to close the doors or install insect screens in areas with vents on windows.
• Drop the curtains to block out light to avoid attracting ants.
• Narrow housing areas such as dormitories or workers' housing near industrial zones, near places with lots of grass, bushes, and newly harvested fields need to be cleaned, rotten trees and dry grass collected and burned to repel insects.
• Use household insect spray, spray on baseboards, door sills, and windows to prevent ants from crawling into the house.
• When ants fall or crawl onto your skin, do not kill them with your hands, but blow them away to avoid their secretions sticking to your skin.
• If you discover that you have just come into contact with ant secretions, quickly wash the contact area under running water. When the skin area begins to feel sore and irritated, use soothing, mild antiseptic solutions such as Jarish solution, zinc oxide, antibiotic ointment, and then go to a medical facility for further treatment.

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