Leeches abroad and while traveling: are they dangerous, where do you encounter them, where can you see them?
What is a leech?
- Leeches are worm-like animals with a suction cup on either side of their body to attach themselves to a host.
- The approximately 700 leech species are generally harmless to humans.
Where do you encounter leeches abroad?
- Leeches are mainly found in freshwater, but a few species live in saltwater. Saltwater leeches typically show no interest in human blood.
- Most species live underwater, but in tropical jungles and swampy areas, there are also species that, due to the humid climate on land, can follow you like a caterpillar (land leeches).
- In Madagascar, there is a species of leech that can jump.
- In Malaysia and other jungles in Southeast Asia, as well as in Queensland, Australia, land-active leeches are quite common.
How dangerous are leeches?
- Leeches inject a blood thinner into your wound while sucking so that the blood can continue to flow properly. Ideal for the leech, less pleasant for the host.
- Leeches are mostly annoying, but the open wounds they leave can pose a health risk due to the risk of infection.
- A small percentage of people can have an allergic reaction to a leech bite.
How can you prevent a leech bite?
- Tuck your trouser legs into your socks, to make sure there's no entry points. Do not hike in the jungle wearing shorts or with uncovered body parts. Pay particular attention in very damp places and high undergrowth.
- Use leech-proof socks, or anti-leech socks. These are a type of plastic sock that leeches cannot get a grip on and close around your leg, so there's no entry point. Alternatively, you can also make a hole in a plastic bag and pull it over your foot. However, plastic is hot and sweaty.
- Using DEET and spraying your clothing or bare skin with DEET spray can help, but it is not a miracle cure for leeches; do not use it when you go swimming, as DEET offers no protection, but does pollute the water. Before you go swimming somewhere, ask if people are often bitten by leeches.
- Be alert to yourself and fellow travelers; a leech needs some time to attach itself and is easy to tap away until that moment. You won't feel a leech attach, so check your whole body well.
What should you do if you have been bitten by a leech?
- If you see that a leech has attached itself to your body, your reflex will be to want to remove it immediately.
- Depending on the size of the leech, the creature will detach itself after 20 minutes to a maximum of a few hours.
- Never try to remove a leech by pulling on the middle of the animal, squeezing it, sprinkling salt on it, holding something burning against it, or using any other method that hinders the leech while feeding; doing so can cause the animal to inject digestive juices containing bacteria into the open wound, creating a risk of infection.
So how do you remove a leech?
- Check which side the front suction cup is on (the narrow end is the front).
- Place your fingernail on your skin (not on the leech) directly next to the oral suction cup.
- Gently but firmly slide your finger against the leech at the point where it is sucking and push the suction cup off sideways.
- The rear suction cup serves only for grip; remove this as well using the aforementioned fingernail motion. It may help to tap the front.
What should you pay attention to when removing a leech?
- While removing the rear, the front will look for a new place to attach itself. Do not be afraid; the leech will not start sucking blood immediately.
- The wound created by the leech will continue to bleed for a short time due to the introduced anticoagulant. Once this wears off, the wound will heal quickly. Keep the wound clean and apply a bandage if necessary.
