MISCELLANEOUS ALLERGENS: INSECT BITES AND STINGS
Allergy to insect bites and stings, especially to bee and wasp stings, can be potentially very dangerous, because a reaction to an injected allergen can be violent and rapid, sometimes causing shock or fatal reactions.
If you know that you react severely to stings, you can carry an emergency kit containing a syringe of adrenalin, which can be used in case of sudden reaction. It may also be wise to wear a disc or locket giving details of your allergy for fuller details.
In other cases of milder reactions – say to mosquito or tick bites -the reaction manifests itself usually as an exaggerated local reaction at the site of the sting or bite – a red, raised bump and flare. You can use topical anti-histamine cream to relieve these. Alternatively, if you are highly chemically sensitive and react to topical creams, wiping the site with Cream of Magnesia (unflavoured from Boots the Chemist) works very well.
Desensitisation – a course of injections of dilute amounts of the allergen, which prevents the body reacting allergically – can be effective against insect bites and stings and may be your most useful protection if you are highly allergic.
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