Land leeches and what tourists and travelers need to know about them

One of the most common parasites that any traveler or tourist in warm countries can encounter is the land Leech. They are found in the forests of Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, India and other tropical countries. Of course, if your vacation is only associated with a vacation on the beach, you are unlikely to get acquainted with them, so you can not read further. But if your plans include excursions to parks and forests, trekking trips to the jungle or mountains, then the chance to become their "victim" is very large.

Let's just say that land leeches in most cases are completely harmless and leave behind only small bruises and unpleasant memories. The bite itself is painless, only it can sometimes itch later, and not from the Leech itself, but from the dirt that you yourself bring into the wound. After a bite, blood can flow from several minutes to several tens of minutes, as it will not clot well. Leeches do not tolerate infections.

But there is only one case when leeches can be really dangerous-the disease hirudinosis. This is when the parasite enters the body cavity, and remains there to live and reproduce. They can get inside through the mouth, nose, anus, vagina, urethra. Such cases are very rare, but it does not hurt to remember the precautions.

So, how to deal with land leeches, and properly defend against them:

Where you can meet land leeches

Leeches, although called Land, live only in moist forests, fields, near reservoirs and swamps. In cities, dry settlements, on asphalt and dry dirt roads, on open and rocky spaces, they are not found. But it is only necessary to leave a dry place in the grass, go under a tree, go closer to the water, as you can "catch" the parasite. Especially a lot of leeches appear in the rainy season.

Land leeches crawl on the ground, on the grass, can climb bushes and trees, but not very high: it is believed that they are "afraid of heights" more than 1 meter. But do not think that they are slow and clumsy. When necessary, they do not crawl, but stretch out to their full height and seem to walk, and very quickly and deftly.

Once on the victim, they do not lose time, and, finding an open area of skin, immediately suck. People tend to fall from grass and foliage, and quickly move through shoes and clothing in search of skin. They can get into shoes, seep through socks, thin and soft fabric of sweatpants or T-shirts.

What to do if sucked

If a land Leech is sucked, do not panic and be afraid. As we mentioned, there is no harm from them, they do not tolerate disease. It is believed that it is not necessary to remove the already sucked leeches, since they can "regurgitate" the blood you have just drunk under your skin, and with it the dirt. Therefore, it is better to wait until it is saturated with blood and disappears itself. Usually it takes 10-30 minutes, and this time is not necessarily worth waiting for. You can not pay attention to continue the hike or go about your business.

If you do not want to tolerate its presence on the skin, then you can do with it, as the inhabitants of the tropics do: just tear it off with your fingers. But it is much safer to remove by cauterization with a match or cigarette, Iodine solution, alcohol, gasoline, strong salt solution.

After removal, you can stop the bleeding with a bandage or band-aid.

How to defend

Usually from land leeches are protected by clothing. The principle is simple: do not let parasites get close to open areas of the skin, for which you need to observe the principle of tightness. Of course, you should not overdo it with such protection during a standing group excursion, but for a serious trekking trip to the jungle or mountains, measures should be taken.

So, you need to wear as high shoes as possible, for which high trekking boots with a sewn tongue are excellent. Socks need dense synthetic, as through simple socks leeches easily leak. Pants also need tight, and they need to be tucked into socks or shoes, and secured with elastic bands or tape. There are also special dense fabric shoe covers that are worn on the foot from the boot to the knee, and tightly tightened around the edges. They, by the way, can be replaced with a plastic bag, wrapping it around the edges with tape or pulling it with an elastic band, but you need to fix it from the shoe itself so that everything is airtight.

The other way to protect is quite the opposite. Inhabitants of the tropics, on the contrary, as a rule, do not defend themselves, but simply develop the habit of walking in dry places where leeches are not found, and constantly examining the body and removing them while they are not yet attached. Helps them in this just a minimum of clothes on the body and light shoes, usually sneakers. Therefore, sometimes it is really easier to take off your shoes for a while, take off your socks, and roll up your pants to your knees and above to go through the Leech patch.

If you have to spend the night in a tent in the forest, then the task is much more complicated. Land leeches easily penetrate through nets and locks (snakes), so you need to keep the tightness to the maximum. To do this, fasten all the locks in a multi-layer scarf, and for ventilation, open only the upper grids. It is better to put a handkerchief in open sunny glades without grass.

Local residents use liquids with a pungent smell to scare leeches away from houses: gasoline, kerosene, diesel fuel, etc., for which they impregnate rags or porous rubber with them. You can also try this method, overlaying them with the entrance to the tent, just do not suffocate yourself. At the slightest smell in the tent, it is better to refuse this, otherwise the next morning you will be very bad.

Well, another option is to abandon the tent altogether and sleep in a hammock under a mosquito net.