How can you tell Flea Bites from Genital Warts

Fleabites bites

Fleas are tiny, irritating insects. Their bites are itchy and sometimes painful, and getting rid of them is hard. Sometimes professional pest control treatment may be required.

Fleas reproduce quickly, especially if you have pets in the household. But even if you don’t have pets, your yard can potentially play host to fleas, and you may end up with a bunch of mysterious bites.

Symptoms of flea bites

Symptoms of flea bites on humans that will occur immediately after being bitten include:

• Red spots with a halo
• Itching
• Hives
• Rash (characterized by small clusters of bumps)
• Swelling around the bite

Some people are more sensitive to flea bites, and can have allergic reactions. Symptoms of allergic reactions to flea bites include:

• Difficulty breathing (shortness of breath or wheezing)
• Swelling of the lips or tongue
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Chest pain

Allergic reactions to flea bites can be a medical emergency, so call 911 or get to a hospital’s emergency department immediately.

How do flea bites look like?

Flea bites look like small red dots. These spots often occur in two to three groups or clusters with redness around them and sometimes a light halo. They tend to bite humans around the feet, ankles, and lower legs.

For people who are allergic to flea bites, there can be larger areas of redness, and small pimple-like bumps.

The redness can last from a few hours to several days, depending on an individual’s reaction, and how much (or little) the bites are scratched.

What is Genital Warts?

Genital warts are growths on the skin of the genital area and around the anus. They are caused by certain types of the human papilloma virus (HPV).

There are more than 100 types of HPV. Some types of HPV produce warts on different parts of the body, like plantar warts on the feet and common hand warts. Some can lead to certain cancers these are called high-risk types of HPV. And some produce genital warts.

Most genital warts are caused by one of two types of HPV types 6 and 11. Genital warts can appear in the mouth or genital area the vulva, vagina, cervix, rectum, anus, penis, or scrotum. They are passed from one person to another by skin-to-skin contact, usually during sex play.

Genital warts are very common. Between 500,000 and 1 million people get genital warts every year.

What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Genital Warts

Although genital warts are painless, they may be bothersome because of their location, size, or due to itching.

• The size may range from less than one millimeter (1 mm = 0.039 inches) across to several square centimeters (1 cm = 0.39 inches) when many warts join together.
• Men and women with genital warts will often complain of painless bumps, itching, and discharge.
• Rarely, bleeding or urinary obstruction may be the initial problem when the wart involves the urethral opening (the opening where urine exits the body.)
• Warts in more than one area are common.
• There may be a history of previous or concurrent sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

What do genital warts look like?

• They may appear as flesh-colored or gray swellings (bumps) in the patient’s genital area
• If several are clustered together, they may have a cauliflower-like shape
• Some genital warts are so small that they can only be detected with a colposcopic exam of the cervix and vagina or a Pap smear