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Safety Tips
June 2009
Summer Fun – Be Careful
You and your
family are out on a picnic when one of you
gets stung by a bee. What do you do? In most
cases all you would have to do is remove the
stinger and apply ice to the sting site to
relieve the pain and swelling. However, in
some cases, a bee sting can be a life
threatening situation. A bee, wasp, hornet,
or a yellow jacket sting in some people can
cause an anaphylactic reaction.
An
anaphylactic reaction is a massive allergic
reaction from a sting that occurs within
seconds to minutes. You can also get the
same type of reaction from eating certain
types of food, being bitten by insects other
than bees, and from taking drugs such as
penicillin. You get this reaction by
becoming sensitive to these different items.
In
anaphylaxis, people experience shortness of
breath (dyspnea), sneezing, wheezing and/or
coughing. They will frequently complain of
tightness in the chest with the sensation
that their throat is closing. Their skin may
be flushed or ashen and there may be facial
swelling, especially around the eyes. They
may even complain about severe itching
around the throat area, and they may have
hives (urticaria) or the skin may just take
on a red, inflamed appearance. The pulse
will usually be rapid, and blood pressure
will fall. This sequence of events can occur
in seconds and can be fatal unless proper
treatment is started immediately.
You may have
to do mouth-to-mouth breathing to keep the
victim alive. You may even have to do CPR
Remember to keep calm and have someone call
9-1-1. Stay on the phone until the
dispatcher hangs up, as they need to ask you
questions about what is going on so they
will be able to give the first emergency
units vital medical information. When the
fire department and ambulance arrives, the
necessary drugs to counter the reaction will
be given by trained Emergency Medical
Technicians or Paramedics.
To learn how
to do CPR or mouth-to-mouth breathing,
contact the American Red Cross at
253-474-0600. They will be happy to tell you
when the next classes are.
Remember—life
threatening anaphylactic reactions are rare
but they do occur. Be prepared. |
Be Responsible......after you finish
