insect bites overseas
I'm a biologist and nurse, who used to work in a travel clinic, where we were careful to advise any patients how to minimise chances of anthropod (jointed animal with lots of legs, including insect, ticks etc) bites, which are unpleasant, even if the arthropod isn't actually carrying any disease eg malaria, yellow fever, dengue fever, leishmaniasis, tick borne encephalitis etc. Actually, I've had my worst biting experiences with midges in Scotland and Greenland, rather than tropical countries. The main advice is to cover skin with clothing, whenever insects are biting - use face / head nets if you like; use insect repellent containing DEET - DEET is the only repellent recommended to prevent bites by malaria carrying mosquitoes - applying to clothing rather than skin means it isn't sweated off so easily; sleep under mosquito nets; wood smoke can be good for keeping insects away, but it's also good at keeping humans away!
Bites are usually infected because they are scratched by finger nails, sometimes while asleep. If you can make yourself run your finger round the bite instead of scratching across, this can take away the sensation. There are also zapper devices to take away the itch feeling. Worth considering taking antihistamaine tablets, especially before going to sleep, to prevent chance of scratching in your sleep.
If you find someone who gets bitten more than you - stick with them!
