European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 2, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse For the allergic any stinger can be fatal by Rosemary Weathers Scripps Howard news service Iller bees invasion of the United states natron May stir a tempest a fear on tabloid to but one Ordinary Honeybee can strike terror in the heart of anyone who suffers allergic reactions to a Bee sting. For the 5 percent of the population who Are truly allergic the Honeybee s venom can cause abdominal cramps or nausea coughing or wheezing tightness in the Throat or Chest hives in areas other than the sting site dizziness and severe anxiety attacks. People who Are deathly allergic to Bee stings will get sick within a minute. They can go into Shock in two to three to five minutes says or. John Sherman director of emergency Medicine at St. Elizabeth medical Center in Covington by. Allergic reactions to Bee stings kill about 40 people a year in the United states. Almost everyone has some allergic reaction to a Bee sting. _ there Are very few individuals who Don t seem to be bothered at All Sherman says. The venom of bees and other stinging insects contains a protein which causes the allergic reaction. It s your body reacting to that foreign protein be says. But the nature of the reaction varies with each individual m addition some people May be highly allergic to honeybees but not to yellow jackets wasps mud daubers or other common stinging insects. Don t be fooled into thinking a child in t a Mosquito feasts on a victim s Arm. Mosquitoes can carry encephalitis a rare but deadly. Disease. ". Bugs that bite a summer Hazard i _ a Bee Busy pollinating a Flower at left can be a threat to humans when it is disturbed especially those humans who Are allergic to the Bee s sting. Allergic because he had no immediate reaction to a sting. Sometimes a reaction is delayed eight hours or More. In addition extreme allergic actions typically Don t happen until the second or third person is stung. Ina child or anyone who never has been stung previously the first sting by a Bee May cause nothing More than a red Welt at the location of the sting. _ then the next time you get stung wham you go Down Sherman says. What should you do if you Are stung anyone who is stung should try to remove the stinger which contains the venom. Use something Flat such As a knife or a stiff card and gently. Scrape the skin to remove the stinger. Or use tweezers to remove it if possible. Don t squeeze it Sherman advises that just squeezes More venom after the stinger is removed put a bag of ice wrapped in a cloth on the skin to help prevent swelling. If you get to itching a Little bit you can take a benadryl capsule he says. If you get shortness of breath nausea a trap for Africani Zed honeybees hangs from a tree in California. A Bee sting head for the emergency room.". Treatment in the emergency room May involve steroids and antihistamines. For anyone who has suffered an extreme allergic reaction to a Bee sting doctors May prescribe an allergy kit that contains epinephrine or adrenalin for self injection. The injected epinephrine starts working on the cardiovascular and respiratory systems effectively countering the allergic effects by reversing Welling around the Throat stimulating the heartbeat relaxing Muscles in the lungs. A person can carry the epinephrine kit wherever he thinks he might be exposed to bees or other stinging insects. They just go ahead and give themselves a shot and head for the Hospital says Sherman. If you like Folk cures try Adolph s Mea Tenderizer on your Bee sting next time. First take out the Bee s stinger make a paste with the meat Tenderizer and water and rub that into the sting after you take that stinger out Sherman says. The cure actually May have a scientific vomiting feeling of faintness a widespread basis. The theory is that the enzymes that reaction or have had a previous reaction to tenderize the meat also break Down the protein in the you can Lessen the chances of your being stung by bees wasps and other stinging insects by knowing something about their _ nature. Yellow jackets nest in the ground and in Walls. Hornets nest in Bushes and Trees. So Don t walk Barefoot on the grass. Take care when working or playing around Bushes and Trees. And make a mental note when you see a number of yellow jackets because their nest May be nearby. Insects typically like Sweet fragrances. Avoid wearing , lotion or Hairspray which could attract bees and other stinging insects. In addition food at picnics and open garbage cans will attract them. Lastly keep the insects away by keeping your skin covered. " what about the dangers of those killer bees California was bracing for their invasion this year As the killer bees known to scientists As Africani Zed bees were making their northward trek. The killer bees Are a hybridized Strain accidentally created in Brazil in 1957 when several colonies of african bees escaped during a scientific Experiment and bred with common honeybees. They were nicknamed killer beef because of their aggressive nature. Some scientists joke that the killer Bee is a Honeybee with a personality problem. They Are territorial and known for attacking in Masse. In their migration North the Africani Zed bees reportedly have killed 400 people in Venezuela 200 in Brazil and _ about 150 in Mexico. A beekeeper in Surrey England goes Eye to Eye with one of his charges after he was called to help round up 2,000 escaped bees. By the Washington Post hat would summer be without bugs nearly everyone gets bitten by annoying mosquitoes at some time v during the summer. Fleas and no see urns what the marines Call flying _ Teeth also drive their victims pretty buggy. _ _ _ but experts say the vast majority of insect bites pose minimal health risks for mos americans. L important exceptions Are the individuals who happen to be allergic to the venom of bees wasps and fire ants. About 3 percent of the population Falls into this group _ according to the american Academy of allergy and immunology. For about 50 people each year the reaction is so Swift and severe that it causes death within minutes. Among the common Creepy crawlers and dive bombers Likely to be encountered this summer Are mosquitoes most people think of mosquitoes attacking from dusk to Dawn near marshes and other bodies of water. But varieties of these Pesky biters also appear in the Day and can flourish mile from Large bodies of water. Entomologists caution that even children s wading pools and water standing on roofs can provide _ perfect Breeding grounds for mosquitoes. They live on blood sucked from their prey which is often humans. Mosquitoes inject histamine from their salivary glands to make blood flow More easily from nearby capillaries. The wound often leaves an inflamed itchy area that can be cleaned and then treated with topical creams and ointments available without prescription 7 medical entomologists say the Best Protection against mosquitoes and most other biting insects including ticks is a repellent called deet a chemical that is widely available. Deet is applied to the skin. Per Methrine another insect repellent is sprayed on clothing and is also effective against mosquitoes. According to a report published several years ago in the medical letter on drugs and therapeutics the combined use of Permel Hrin and deet proved to be nearly 100 percent effective against mosquitoes and Deer _ ticks the insect that carries Lyme disease ticks. These Are among the most dangerous insects because of the possibility of their bites transmitting Borreli Burgdorfer the bacterium that causes Lyme disease a potentially debilitating Ai ment that struck More _ j than 8,000 americans last year. Although the disease is usually treatable in its Early stages with Oral antibiotics Ilis difficult to diagnose and often goes unrecognized for weeks or months. By then victims can have severe arthritis and neurological i problems that require hospitalization and intravenous antibiotics for a month or More. The most severely afflicted remain ill for years _ researchers Are hoping two vaccines for Lyme disease that Are now being tested will be successful in controlling the disease. Until then doctors advise wearing Long sleeved shirts Long pants and thick socks whenever where licks Are common and to Check your body frequently for ticks or tick bites. Burnole bees honeybees and wasps. Wasps and bumblebees can sting multiple times. But honeybees die _ when they sting because their stinger is designed to rip away Frorer their bodies when they attack. A tiny Sac of venom wrapped Ira a miniature muscle keeps venom spewing for one to two minutes after the sting occurs according to entomologists. For honeybees the Best bet is to flick the stinger away with a Fingernail or something Flat such As a credit cad. Then was the skin with soap and water to remove the venom and the accompanying chemicals produced by the Bee that attract other insects. Ice helps reduce swelling and benadryl a common Antihistamine available without prescription can also provide some Relief. Use a non prescription pain reliever to ease any discomfort. Spiders. Entomologists ads tee taking special care _ when reaching in cardboard boxes tree stumps and other dark dry out of the Way places in Yards garages " _ porches Sheds and outhouses. File a drawing of a fire ant one of the perils of s 16 the stars and stripes tuesday August 2, 194 the stars and stripes 17
