Wasp-sting warning after deaths

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Wasp stings can lead to fatal allergic reactions

The deaths of two men after they were stung by wasps have led experts

to reinforce warnings of the dangers of allergic reactions to venom.

The men, both from Hampshire, died from anaphylactic shock.

 

Allergy experts say it is rarely the first sting that causes the

allergic reaction, so people should always watch for signs such as

feeling faint.

 

Insect experts say wasp numbers are back to normal after several

years where there were fewer than expected.

 

The problem with these sorts of reactions is it isn't necessarily

the first or second sting that causes them

 

Muriel Simmons, Allergy UK

 

The two men who died were father-of-three Ron Allan, stung by a swarm

of wasps after disturbing a nest as he worked in his garden in Itchen

Abbas on July 21 and farm labourer Andy Conduct, from Alresford,

stung five times by wasps in his garden, who died in hospital two

days later on August 7.

 

Mr Allan had never previously suffered an allergic reaction to a wasp

sting, while Mr Conduct had been stung in the weeks before his death

and had been given antihistamine tablets.

 

Inquests have been opened and adjourned into both deaths.

 

Warning signs

 

Muriel Simmons, of the charity Allergy UK, said the men's tragic

deaths reinforced the need for people to watch out for signs they had

had a dangerous reaction to the venom in a sting.

 

She said: " The problem with these sorts of reactions is it isn't

necessarily the first or second sting that causes them.

 

" It may be that the body deals with the venom the first time. But, by

the later stings, the body knows what it is dealing with and the

immune system goes into overdrive. "

 

Symptoms can include tingling, feeling faint or even collapsing and

vomiting.

 

Anyone who experiences these symptoms - even if they have previously

been fine after a sting - should call 999.

 

Matt Shardlow from the insect charity Buglife warned wasps are a

particular problem in the late summer.

 

He added: " Based on the trend in allergic reactions, we would expect

to see a long-term increase in the number of wasp (sting) deaths. "

 

A health select committee in 2004 said: " Levels of allergy in the

population have soared in recent years.

 

" Allergies are present in around 30% of the adult population, but the

figure is higher for children, with 40% of children having some form

of allergy. "