Multiple heatwaves have led to a surge in people heading to the NHS website for advice about insect bites and stings, figures show. Hospital visits in England for insect and spider bites also more than doubled in May compared to the previous month.
Website visits soar in July
Analysis by NHS England found there were 90,206 visits to the NHS website page on bites and stings in June. This soared by 35.2% in July when there were 121,976 visits.
Website hits peaked during the week of July 6, when there were 33,972 visits - the equivalent of one every 18 seconds. The analysis also found there were 1,232 hospital visits for insect and spider bites in May, more than double the 495 recorded in April.
NHS advice on treating bites
Professor Frankie Swords, national medical director at NHS England, said: “Insect bites and stings often increase during the summer and this month we’ve seen a large rise in the number of people seeking advice on these from the NHS website.
“If you or your family member has been bitten or stung, the NHS website provides a wealth of useful information on what to do and how to treat the symptoms, as well as when to consult your community pharmacist.
“A pharmacist can also recommend and provide treatments, such as antihistamines and steroid creams, and if appropriate, give the same antibiotics as a GP if need be when a bite or sting is infected.”
Summer surge and record temperatures
It comes after health officials said there had been a record 2.5 million A&E attendances in July as the health service faced a “summer surge”.
Rain has arrived in some parts of the UK this week following the fifth heatwave of the year so far. The hottest day of the year was recorded in Kew Gardens, London, on August 13 when the temperature reached 38.1C.
