In the region of our country, insect stings rarely cause serious poisoning; it would take 500-1000 bee stings to cause death. In tropical regions, in North and South America, in Africa and Central Asia, poisonous spiders (“black widow”) and scorpions are found, which are very dangerous for both humans and domestic animals.
In the conditions of prolonged drought and persistent heat wave, it is possible for some poisonous spiders to appear here as well, as well as for the accentuation of the aggressive behavior of some autochthonous insects, such as for example wasps.
The stings of bees, wasps, common spiders usually have transient effects represented by local itching (itching), burning sensation and swelling of the injured region. In rare cases, however, serious allergic reactions can occur (anaphylactic shock with death in case of lack of prompt intervention).
Other times, local infections can occur through superinfection of the integuments due to scratching (scratching injuries), especially in the case of mosquito bites. Mosquitoes can also transmit the West Nile virus, which can cause meningitis in humans. There have been cases of bee or wasp stings in the oral mucosa (by swallowing the insect together with fruit or other food) that caused death due to glottic edema.
The toxic effects of the stings of these insects come from their venom. Bee or wasp venom contains histamine and apitoxin, which in large quantities cause hemolytic and neurotoxic effects.
CAREFUL!
Any insect sting can cause unwanted effects, so it is good to consult a doctor in such situations. The signs of gravity are: cold sweats, pale and cold extremities, accelerated pulse and continuously decreasing blood pressure. It is recommended to avoid exposure to possible insect stings in allergic and asthmatic people. It is good to have medicinal spirit for disinfecting the affected skin area, hydrocortisone ointment for immediate local applications and some anti-allergic drugs recommended by the doctor in the medical “trip” kit.
REMEMBER!
The immediate treatment of needle insect stings is to remove it, apply compresses with alcohol or ammonia (one part ammonia to 5 parts water), anti-allergic drugs (loratidine) and, in the case of venomous tropical insects, applying a tourniquet over the sting, local ice packs, combating shock and administration of antitoxic serum in the hospital (in intensive care units).
2023-09-23 15:31:00
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