Bite, Insect, Infected (Bee, Wasp, Hornet, and Ant)

Bite, Insect, Infected
(Bee, Wasp, Hornet, and Ant)
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What is it?
 Insect Bites- usually not fatal, clean with an ointment containing
antihistamine, an analgesic and a corticosteroid
Signs and Symptoms:
 Anaphylaxis- a life threatening allergic reaction in which the blood pressure
falls and the airways close, occurs in less than 1% of the population,
seizures may occur from isolated nerves becoming inflamed
Recommendations:
 Stinger- must be removed, scrap and do not pull or tweeze which injects
more venom into the body
 Reduce the Pain- with an ice cube, a cream with antihistamine, an analgesic
and a corticosteroid is helpful
Facts:
 Tolerance- 10 stings per pound of body weight, normal adults can
withstand 1,000 stings, a child could die with 500 stings
 Death- can be a result of 1 sting if an anaphylactic reaction
 Bee Stings- 3 to 4 times more people die from bee stings than snake bites
o Africanized Killer Bee- aggressive bee that has traveled from North
America, causes a severe reaction, attack in swarms
 Multiple Stings- can cause heart malfunction and collapse of the circulatory
system
 Fire Ants- 30 deaths have been attributed to these insect bites
o Sting- pain, red and swollen, usually disappears in 45 minutes to 1
hour, a blister forms in 30 to 75 hours, rupturing and often becomes
infected or a red, swollen, itchy patch with no blister
What can I do?
 See your Health Care Provider- antihistamine tablets, preloaded syringe of
epinephrine