Leeches! Good Bad and Ugly!

Popular Science just posted an excellent article about leeches that you might want to read. Have you ever had a leech on you? This post has a few highlights from the article with tips on what to do if you get a blood sucker on you.

What's the Worst Ting That Can Happen From a Leech Bite?

What’s the worst that could happen when you are bitten by a leech?
Well..Let's think for a minute - Do you know where that thing has been? Usually, finding one of these  bloodthirsty worms on your body is not a medical emergency. However, occasionally , leeches can cause some serious and gruesome complications. On the other hand, leeches can also be helpful in some fields of medicine. Leeches helpful?
Yes, that's right! Leeches have made a name for themselves in reconstructive surgery by improving blood flow in damaged veins. Hirudotherapy is seen by many as a safe, easy to use, beneficial, and cost-effective treatment modality to save reattached body parts. These leeches are raised in laboratory conditions and applied in ultra-hygenic methods, so don't just wander out to the swamp and slap a few leeches on yourself or grab them from your local bait shop. Unless properly applied, leeches can spread extremely dangerous diseases, such as HIV.

Applying Leech Using Syringe- Image from Hindawi

Scientists have found HIV and hepatitis B viruses in wild leeches in Africa.  Sometimes a leech will even wiggle inthrough one of your bodies openings and attach itself to your insides!  Leeches have made their way into people through eyes, ears, noses, throats, urethras, bladders, rectums, vaginas, and stomachs. Yuck!
Apparently, leeches that invade a person’s body, want to be inside you. These leeches usually belong to the Praobdellidae family.  How do you know if you have a leech inside you? Here are a few clues  a leech might be inside you:
Do you have:

• Unusual bleeding from an  orifice?
•  Fever?
• Vomiting?
• Trouble urinating?
• A sensation of foreign body movement? 
• Difficulty breathing?
• Hoarseness?
• Voice changes?

Leeches may be a weird cause of some or all of your symptoms!

Gentle Leech Removal Tips

According to the Popular Science article, you want to be sure to gently remove any leech that is attached to you, to keep it from panicking and spitting contaminated blood from its gut into you. So how do you gently remove a leech?
The POpular Science article recommends using something to like your fingernail or a credit card to break its suction. Salt water is also recommended as being  irritating enough to make it remove itself "without being so noxious as to cause regurgitation,” After removing the leech it is recommended to  wash the area with soap and water then bandage it.

If you have massive amounts of leeches on you they could cause you to bleed to death or die from a blood infection. So walk cautiously and carry your salt shaker with you!

Sources

• :https://www.popsci.com/so-youve-been-bitten-by-leech-whats-worst-that-could-happen
•  https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2014/205929/

Have a wonderful day full of wonders!
Su