Things that can go wrong on holiday

Abstract

Bites and stings from insects and animals can merely be a nuisance, or they can cause severe local reactions and even life-threatening consequences. Some bites are vectors for serious infections such as malaria, yellow fever, tick bite fever and rabies. Although one should ideally avoid contact with these insects and animals, this is not practical and the approach to how best to minimise the risks and complications of the more common bites and stings, especially over the summer holiday season, will be discussed, as well as a short overview of cuts and bruises, which may also be more likely when travelling away from home.