What to do if a wasp bitten

Probably every adult at least once in his life felt the bite of a wasp. But what to do in this case, what should be paid special attention to and how to act in a situation that threatens the development of anaphylactic shock - very few people know about it.

In the overwhelming majority of cases, the bite of a wasp leads to even if unpleasant, but not very dangerous consequences. If a wasp bitten, the stinging site, as a rule, swollen, sore, and later it begins to itch. However, all these symptoms gradually disappear by themselves within a few days - you can not even do anything “special” to weaken their strength.

However, there are still situations where the attack of a wasp can be truly deadly. Of course, much depends here, firstly, on the type of wasp (not all of them sting the same way), and secondly, on the sensitivity of the human body to the poison of this insect.

So, for some people even the bites of "our" wasps (so-called paper) can become deadly, not to mention some exotic species and, especially, hornet. Moreover, a person may not even be aware of his special susceptibility right up to the attack of the insect itself. That is why it is necessary for every adult to be clear about what to do if a wasp bitten. In exceptional cases, this knowledge will help save both your own life and the life of someone around you.

On a note

At the moment of the bite or immediately after it, it is very important to be able to distinguish the wasp from other stinging and biting insects. This is significant, if only because, for example, the methods of first aid for bites of wasps and bees in some moments are diametrically different. Therefore, even theoretically knowing what to do in such situations, due to the incorrect identification of an insect in practice, you can behave completely wrong. The error will lead to loss of time (for example, to search for the sting in the wound) or to the use of tools that will only aggravate the situation. Therefore, no matter how painful it is at the moment of a bite, it is desirable to examine the offender carefully before reflexively brushing him off the body.The wasp is a slender insect of a rather light color with a small amount of hairs on the body, and the bee is denser, with a densely pubescent surface of the body.

Paper Wasp Photos:

And here is a picture of a honey bee:

As you can see, these insects are quite different from each other.

 

The danger of wasp bites: why it is so important to take action on time

Before speaking directly about what needs to be done if a wasp has bitten, let's first find out what threats an insect can conceal in itself.

So, the usual consequences of wasp bites are:

• acute pain in the place of stinging;
• rapidly developing soft tissue swelling;
• pruritus at the site of the bite;
• redness of the integuments of the body, fever in the inflamed area.

Separate symptoms can reach their peak within a day or two after the bite, and then gradually disappear without a trace. This response of the body to the bite of a wasp is completely natural and normal.

Another thing is when a generalized allergic reaction begins to develop in a victim after a bite. In its simplest form, it leads to the appearance of the so-called serum sickness (the body’s immune response to an extraneous substance), accompanied by fever, nausea, pains in the head and abdomen.These symptoms manifest themselves not immediately, but with some delay - in contrast to the reddening of the affected area and extensive edema, which do not keep themselves waiting.

However, the most dangerous of the possible consequences of an allergy after a bite of a wasp are not the above-mentioned reactions of the body, but Quincke’s edema and anaphylactic shock. The first can lead to obstruction of the larynx and subsequent asphyxia, and the second - in 12-15% of cases, ends in death due to cardiac arrest or impaired lung function.

It is worth noting that such reactions to os bites happen, fortunately, quite rarely, but if they develop, then it happens so quickly that for their relief it is necessary to take the necessary first aid measures very quickly - the delay here is really life threatening.

On a note

Anaphylactic shock develops, usually within 5-30 minutes after the bite. However, there are cases when the score went on for seconds. Therefore, if a person knows about his susceptibility to insect bites, it always makes sense for him to carry with him an autoinjector with adrenaline (epinephrine), which in an emergency can save lives.

In addition, a very dangerous situation can turn out to be when a person was bitten not by one, but by a whole group of wasps from 5-10 or more insects.

In this case, even in a victim who is poorly susceptible to poison, there is general intoxication, and sometimes even subcutaneous and internal hemorrhages can be observed.

Even more dangerous are situations when a person becomes a victim of an attack by many hornets — these insect-like insects are larger in size and inject more poison into the wound in one bite.

Feedback

“At that time I didn’t have a clue what to do if a wasp was bitten. When I was bitten on a picnic at once, five wasps (I went to the toilet in the bushes and came right to their nest), I just anointed me with a soothing ointment and drank brandy. In short, they brought me to the hospital unconscious; I opened my eyes from the edema only the next day. On the ground bites huge bruises appeared, the whole body was swollen, the temperature was high and I was constantly shot down. For three days I was in the hospital, then another week at home, the doctor came to me - she did injections. This is not how we had a good rest. ”

Irina, Volgograd

 

The first steps after the bite of a wasp

The first thing to do if a wasp bitten is to not panic and calm down.Even if you know about the presence of a dangerous allergy in yourself or a loved one, there should be no room for panic and bustle, as it only hurts in such a situation.

In the most usual case, after an wasp sting follows:

• try to suck poison from the wound;
• attach an acid-containing product to the bite site - it can be an apple slice, an orange or lemon slice, which will contribute to the neutralization of a part of the poison in a still not prolonged wound;
• then attach any cold object to the damaged area - meat from the freezer, cold metal, or, ideally, an ice pack.

After that, you can drink the tablet Suprastin - this drug in some cases can block the development of root allergy and thereby prevent a possible severe reaction of the body. That is why it should be done as early as possible.

Another important point of first aid after a wasp sting is the antibacterial treatment of the damaged area - this is especially true if the wasp has bitten a child. In almost 100% of cases, affected children comb the bite site due to severe itching and may cause some kind of infection in the wound.

To avoid this, the bite must be treated with any available antiseptic - brilliant green, hydrogen peroxide, and if in nature nothing of this was at hand, then you can use regular vodka. But to take alcohol inside - even for the purpose of "prevention" - is strictly prohibited.

A separate conversation deserves a situation where a stung person is known for high sensitivity to the poison of insects. As a rule, such people always have an autoinjector with them (it was already mentioned above), but it also happens that the victim of a wasp sting is lost and can not immediately understand what to do - starts to panic. That is why knowing how to use this item will be useful to any adult.

So, in a critical situation, a bite-stricken person needs to inject a drug (usually it is adrenaline), and this should be done as quickly as possible, sometimes it takes a minute. To do this, remove the cap from the device, then the injector is strongly pressed against the middle part of the outer surface of the thigh of the victim with a specially marked side and make an injection for 5 seconds.In such situations, you can prick right through the clothes, without losing precious time on their removal.

 

Preparations and folk remedies for the treatment of bites of wasps, the rules of their use

Now let's figure out what to do after first aid. First, you need to put a compress on the place of the wasp sting. Its essence lies in slowing the blood flow, and with it - the spread of poison through the body, so the sooner the compress is used, the more effective its action will be.

As a rule, such a bandage is applied for 30-50 minutes, after which it is removed, and the bite of a wasp is treated with special means to help relieve itching and pain, as well as reduce the force of inflammation.

As an option - the bite can be processed before applying the compress. For example, in the case when the means for treating a bite is right at hand, they can be applied in the first place - nothing terrible will happen. If you need to search for them for a long time, it is better to do a compress for this time - it is only important not to leave the bite completely unheeded.

One of the most famous and fairly effective pharmaceuticals used after the bites of wasps and other insects, today are:

• Fenistil gel, reducing itching and pain, as well as inhibiting the development of inflammation and reducing the risk of developing allergies;
• Insectline - an import agent that has a pronounced anti-inflammatory effect, as well as reducing pain;
• Menovazine is a relatively inexpensive anesthetic that relieves pain and itching;
• Gardex Family and Gardex Baby are mild in their action but effective for treating bites in adults and children;
• Soventol is a good enough anesthetic ointment;
• Advantan is a powerful gel that inhibits the development of an allergic reaction.

However, there are also a number of time-tested folk remedies for wasp bites. For example, after an insect attack, you can attach to the sting site:

• chopped parsley root;
• lemon wedge;
• cut garlic clove or onion slice;
• plantain leaf;
• gauze moistened with natural essential oil.

Of course, in the modern world, preference is given to the treatment of the bite site with specialized balms and ointments. Nevertheless, traditional medicine should not be discounted: if a wasp was bitten, then do what our grandmothers did at one time,also possible - at least as a spare or emergency option.

 

Errors that should not be allowed

Knowing what to do if a wasp bitten is certainly very important. However, it is equally important to understand what cannot be done categorically. Often, even inaction leads to less severe problems than improper behavior, which can result in serious complications.

Let's take a closer look at what you shouldn’t do when a wasp bites:

1. No need to look for a sting - wasps never leave it in the wound. This action will only lead to wasting precious time.
2. You can not try to squeeze poison. This contributes to increased blood circulation at the site of a wasp sting and, accordingly, to an increase in the rate of spread of its venom.
3. It is dangerous to comb or scratch a bite - so an infection can be placed in the wound, which will significantly complicate the healing process.
4. It is fraught to apply earth to the wound or to lower it into dirty water in order to cool the bite site - these actions are also more likely to lead to infection (sometimes to a much more dangerous than the bite itself).
5. It is forbidden to independently "assign" powerful antihistamines without reliablesigns of developing allergies. Instead of strong enough Loratadine and Dimedrol, take Suprastin tablet.
6. It makes no sense to limit yourself to drinking to prevent swelling, as some people think. When a wasp bites, the development of a tumor does not depend on the amount of fluid consumed - here, on the contrary, drinking plenty of fluids will help reduce the symptoms of intoxication.

Feedback

“Thank you for your advice, but it seemed to be fine. I am generally allergic, so I reinsured myself and after the bite I immediately ran home and drank Suprastin. Plus the pain, plus the heat, in general, I felt very badly for the rest of the day and night, it was generally broken. Today, here at the site of the bite is a lump, but it does not hurt, but it itches. I think that without Suprastin I would have been much worse at night. ”

Liza, Moscow

 

The specifics of the treatment of wasp bites in children

The bite of a wasp in a child always causes great concern to his parents. However, it is not necessary to do anything supernatural with this - the approach to treating a bite in babies is almost the same as in adults.

The only feature is that children should not use the usual in such cases ointments and balms - it is better to use special children's tools. An example is:

• Gardex Baby already mentioned above, which can be used from 12 months;
• Balsam Rescuer, allowed at any age;
• Picnic Family for school children;
• children's series of specialized tools Mosquitall.

As a rule, in childhood, allergy to insect bites occurs much less frequently than in adults. Bites of wasps in children are sometimes sufficient to simply antiseptic alcohol or brilliant green, without using special balms and ointments. You can also apply the above folk remedies.

An equally important point for adults is to maintain their own calm and composure, because the emotional state of children (especially very small) is largely determined by the state of their parents. Therefore, no matter how afraid you are for your baby, he should not feel your fear (you don’t want to form insect phobia with him).

After a wasp sting, the parent needs to be able to calm his child down and distract him with something. Fortunately, it is not so difficult to do this - even with severe pain at the site of the bite, it is enough to attach something cold to it and, for example, tell the baby something “very important” so that it stops crying.

Also, adults need to take care of the clothes of the affected child - it should not rub the place where the wasp bite came, as otherwise it can lead to an increase in edema and painful sensations.

 

How to prevent allergies and what to do if it appears

For people who have never experienced an acute reaction to wasp stings, it is enough to drink Suprastin, which will prevent the development of an immune response at an early stage. If, after the bite of a wasp, urticaria has appeared all over the body, too much swelling, headache, nausea, fever, shortness of breath, confusion or vomiting, additional measures should be taken urgently to prevent further development of allergies.

The best option would be, of course, contacting the “Ambulance” for emergency advice.

However, if for some reason this is not possible, you should take one tablet of Dimedrol, Loratadine, or Prednisolone. With the continued deterioration of the bite should be urgently taken to the hospital - otherwise the outcome can be fatal.

As mentioned above, people with allergies usually have a special autoinjector with them, which should be used immediately after the bite.How to do it - shown in the picture:

On a note

The above allergy products should not be given to children. When the child has the corresponding symptoms, you can use the syrup Erius (Desloratadine).

One of the most dangerous is the bite of a wasp in the neck - with a very acute reaction, edema can block the airways. When a victim has wheezing or wheezing, try to insert a hollow tube into his throat that will allow him to breathe if his edema is aggravated. In exceptional cases, the bitten may require conicotomy - dissection of the anterior wall of the throat at the point of transition of the neck to the chest.

With mass wasping a wasp in a person, general intoxication of the organism may develop - this condition is also unsafe. To combat it, you should drink as much liquid as possible, take 5-10% solution of calcium chloride and ascorbic acid. Activated carbon here, unfortunately, will not help.

Anyway, the main thing that needs to be remembered in case of a wasp sting: if you experience any symptoms that go beyond the local inflammation and pain, you should always consult with your doctor, at least by phone.And the sooner this is done, the less likely there will be any complications.

 

Useful video: first actions for a wasp sting, including in severe cases

 

What is important to know about the bites of wasps and hornets