What to do if a mosquito gets into your ear?
If a mosquito gets into your ear, the first thing you need to do in this case is not to panic. The insect is so small that it cannot damage the eardrum and does not have time to lay larvae in the ear. Next, you need to choose one of two options: go to a specialist or extract the mosquito yourself, following certain rules.
Why does a mosquito fly into your ear?
A blood-sucking parasite can enter the hearing organ for two reasons:
- Accident. Most often this happens on the street, when a person walks during the day in a wooded area, near water bodies. Disturbed mosquitoes fly up from their shelters and move chaotically, finding temporary refuge in the ear, since the inside of it is dark, warm and humid.
- Intentional hit. After the ectoparasite has drunk a sufficient amount of blood from a person, it looks for a place to rest and digest food. In some cases, the insect does not fly far, but hides in close proximity to the victim, including choosing the ear as a refuge.
Prevention measures
In order to avoid such problems, you need to fight against domestic insects and prevent them from becoming widespread in the apartment. Small children need to wear thick hats at night to protect their ears. For adults, earplugs or simple pieces of cotton wool in their ears will help.
When hiking, it is necessary to ensure that the tent is airtight. Along the perimeter you can lay out aromatic herbs that cockroaches, ants, and other insects cannot tolerate, for example, tansy (fresh or dry).
No need to eat in a tent. Teach children that this is a place to rest at night. If there is no food, the insects will not come.
The main method of prevention remains getting rid of cockroaches. There are many ways to say goodbye to these domestic parasites forever. They are not only unpleasant to look at, but are carriers of dangerous diseases - tetanus, dysentery, lichen, salmonellosis, urogenital viruses.
Is a mosquito in the ear dangerous?
An ectoparasite that gets into the organ of hearing causes great discomfort to a person. Often this process is accompanied by pain. The following complications may develop:
- Hearing impairment. Occurs due to the presence of a foreign body in the ear canal.
- Damage to organ elements. The insect is not able to physically injure the walls of the “labyrinth”, the cochlea, the eardrum, and other components. However, a person can do this for him, trying to mechanically pull out the mosquito.
- Bacterial infections. If a mosquito gets into the ear and dies, after which it is not removed from the ear canal, then the risks of developing suppuration and local infection increase, which requires complex treatment in the future.
Treatment
It is clear that due to various reasons for the appearance of noise, treatment methods can vary significantly in each case. If the clicking in the ears is caused by the presence of wax plug, it is removed in a hospital setting. In the presence of infection, complex antimicrobial therapy is carried out - antibacterial or antifungal drugs, antihistamines (Diazolin, Suprastin, Loratadine) and vasoconstrictors (Otrivin, Naphthyzin, Polydexa), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (Nurofen, Ibuprofen). In case of severe muscle spasm, muscle relaxants (Drotaverine, No-Shpa) are prescribed. For lesions of the jaw joints, it is recommended to take chondroprotectors (Glucosamine, Chondroitin).
The accumulation of fluid in the inner ear requires the prescription of antipsychotics (Aminazin, Triftazin) to normalize the functioning of the vestibular apparatus and diuretics (Diacarb, Veroshpiron) to reduce the level of edema. Pneumomassage of the eardrum, performed by an otolaryngologist, is also indicated. Tinnitus with hypertension requires treatment of the underlying disease. To normalize blood pressure, beta-blockers (Anaprilin, Metoprolol), sedatives (Persen, Novo-Passit), ACE inhibitors (Captopril, Lisinopril, Ceronapril), calcium blockers (Nifedipine, Manidipine), diuretics are prescribed.
If tinnitus reduces the patient’s quality of life, along with drug therapy, the use of psychological techniques may be recommended to reduce the severity of subjective perception of noise.
The reception is conducted by specialists
Kirillov Evgeniy Sergeevich
Audiologist, otoneurologist
Cost of services
Initial consultation with an audiologist
1200₽
Repeated consultation with an audiologist
1000₽
How can you tell if an insect is in your ear?
Signs of the presence of blood-sucking parasites in the ear are not specific and depend on the subjective sensations of the person, as well as the localization of the insect. Patients complain of discomfort, itching and pain in the ear canal, detect the mosquito's attempts to get out and its movements.
If no action is taken, then after 2-3 days the manifestations disappear (due to the death of the insect), but the preconditions are created for the development of a local inflammatory process. It is accompanied by the appearance of abundant serous discharge - thus, the body tries to get rid of the foreign body.
It is more difficult to diagnose the presence of a mosquito in the ear of young children who cannot yet speak. In this case, you should pay attention to the behavior and external symptoms of the child. The child regularly rubs the problem ear, becomes capricious, whiny, sleeps and eats poorly. Copious serous discharge flows from the auricle, which later turns purulent.
Article information
This article was co-authored by. Dr. Matsko is a retired physician from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Temple University School of Medicine in 2007.
Categories: First aid
In other languages:
English: Remove a Bug from Your Ear, Español: sacar un bicho del oído, Italiano: Togliere un Insetto dall'Orecchio, Português: Remover um Inseto do Ouvido, Deutsch: Einen Käfer aus deinem Ohr entfernen, Français: enlever un insecte de vos oreilles, Nederlands: Een insect uit je oor halen, 한국어: 귀에 들어간 벌레를 제거하는 법, ไทย: เอาแมลงออกจ Bahasa Indonesia: Mengeluarkan Serangga dari Telinga, Bahasa Indonesia: Mengeluarkan Serangga dari Telinga, 日本語:耳から虫を取り除く, Tiếng Việt: Loại bỏ Bọ khỏi Tai Bạn, 中文: 取出耳朵里的虫子, Čeština: Jak si odstranit brouka z ucha , हिन्दी: कान से कीड़ा बाहर निकालें
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How to get rid of a mosquito?
There are a number of methods to get rid of insects in the organ of hearing. The most famous of them are presented below.
Simple contactless methods
Before using any means, try to remove the insect using non-contact methods. Action plan:
- Involve an assistant in the procedure and give him a flashlight or other bright color source. If available, provide the person with a magnifying glass. He may try to examine the ectoparasite in the ear and determine its exact location. The mosquito is removed with a cotton swab previously soaked in alcohol. The method is suitable only if the assistant clearly saw the insect and can easily reach it without plunging the working tool deep into the middle and deep sections of the organ.
- Turn your head to the side with the problematic ear down and vigorously tug the earlobe with your fingers. The mosquito falls out on its own.
- If you feel that the insect is moving independently closer to the outer part of the auricle, then do not make sudden movements, remove your fingers from the ear canal, taking a motionless position. In some cases, the mosquito crawls out of the ear on its own.
Classic safe extraction methods
The methods indicated below are safe for the human hearing organ. Scheme of sequential actions:
- Fill a syringe with clean water at room temperature. Lift your ear up and pour liquid into it. Wait one minute, then lower it to the floor and shake it several times. The insect will come out with the water.
- If the previous action does not have an effect, put olive oil or liquid glycerin into a pipette. Lie horizontally on your side with your insect ear facing the ceiling. Pour the working fluid into the ear canal and wait 15 minutes. Turn over to the other side, placing a napkin on the pillow. Wait another 15 minutes. The mosquito comes out with the oil.
If the methods described above did not help the first time, then repeat the cycle of events. If there is no result, contact an otolaryngologist. A qualified doctor, using a special tool, local anesthesia and his own experience, will pull out the mosquito.
Protection methods
If you get into places where midges swarm, it is recommended to protect yourself not only with clothing covering the surface of the skin, but also with a hat. A mosquito net is ideal for these purposes - a special hat with a mosquito net that protects against attacks and bites of midges and mosquitoes.
Repellents are chemicals used to ward off insects. Such sprays and creams are good at repelling midges and other insects. Such means do not cause discomfort to humans
It is important to choose a product that repels midges
Stay calm and try not to take rash actions
It is important to remember that the midges that live in our country are absolutely safe, and the fact that an insect appears in your ear does not in any way threaten human life. Don't panic
When planning a trip to the countries of the southern hemisphere, it is worth studying what insects you should be wary of, how to protect yourself, and what actions to take if they get into the ear canal.
Be careful when choosing a method to get rid of an unwanted “guest” in your ear. Weigh the pros and cons, try to objectively assess your condition and think about the possible consequences of a rude or inept invasion, because your health is at stake.
The above symptoms often accompany an insect entering the ear canal, but they can also be symptoms of serious ear diseases. If you are not sure about the causes of pain and hearing impairment, do not self-medicate, consult a doctor immediately. After all, an object that has flown into the ear is a foreign body. A timely diagnosis of the disease and the prescription of the correct treatment will help to cope with the disease as soon as possible.
Prohibited actions
When carrying out mosquito extraction procedures, the following is prohibited:
- Pour any type of hazardous liquid into the ear canal. Alternative healers suggest using brilliant green, alkali and other aggressive substances as a replacement for water and vegetable oil. They can damage the internal elements of the hearing aid and cause serious complications.
- Pick the middle and inner part of the ear with objects. Matches, toothpicks, tweezers, and other products are prohibited from being used to extract mosquitoes. The exception is those situations when the insect is located in the upper part of the auricle and can be reached without any problems. In this case, use a cotton swab dipped in alcohol.
- Heat or cool the hearing organ. Cold and hot compresses (both dry and wet) can kill the insect, but not remove it. This increases the risk of developing otitis media and other problems.
- Do nothing. Even if the blood-sucking parasite dies on its own, but is not removed, after some time complications will arise - inflammatory processes, suppuration and other pathologies.
Risk of incorrect removal
During the “operation” you should not use sharp objects or insert cotton swabs too deep. In such a situation, there is a risk of damage to the eardrum. Sharp objects injure the skin, which is dangerous due to the development of the inflammatory process.
If done incorrectly, the following may happen:
- hearing loss;
- development of otitis media;
- inflammation;
- infection;
- pushing the mosquito deeper.
It is rare for a mosquito to get into your ear; if this happens, there is no need to panic. Nothing bad will happen in a few days; you can make an appointment with a specialist. Removing the insect will be professional, without serious consequences. It is advisable to take independent action if the pest is clearly visible or the person is in places remote from civilization. You can get a mosquito in half an hour.
When to see a doctor?
It is necessary to contact an otolaryngologist in the following cases:
- Formation of severe symptoms. We are talking about severe headaches, loss of consciousness and other non-standard manifestations.
- Lack of effect of home therapy. If the mosquito cannot be removed, then a doctor must carry out the procedure.
- Damage to hearing organs. If the insect was successfully removed, but the pain, burning and other unpleasant symptoms do not disappear within 1 day, then with a high degree of probability the elements of the hearing aid were damaged during the procedure.
Removing the pest if it is clearly visible
If a mosquito gets into your ear and you can determine its location, you can perform simple steps to remove it. You need to arm yourself with a clean cotton swab or wrap cotton wool around a match, soak it in medical alcohol, ammonia or hydrogen peroxide. Carefully remove the mosquito using slow movements.
Finally, check the integrity of the insect. If part of the mosquito remains in your ear, you will have to contact a specialist or follow the steps described in the next section.
