Dr Olson Huff and his team of experts provide you with up to date information about your child’s health. In our health section you can find tips on common childhood ailments such as diarrhea, fever and vomiting. Find out how to prepare your child for visits to the doctor or dentist and hints on how to care for your sick child or baby.
Bites and stings
Insects of all kinds share the world with our children.
Yellow jacket
Many of them may attack in alarm when threatened. Warm weather months, or climates that are warm are where and when the most stinging insects may be found.
Most stings cause only discomfort at the site of the bite. If signs of more general reaction occur this could indicate an allergic response or even the onset of a condition known as anaphylaxis. Both could be life threatening. For persons know to be allergic to insect stings or those who become so, an emergency supply of epinephrine in a self injecting system should be available at all times. In the outdoors, do not go barefoot, do not wear bright colors that attract insects and do not mess with their homes or work. Teach children how to recognize and respect these very busy creatures of their world!
By Dr. Olson Huff FAAP
Yellow jacket
- Honey bees, wasps, hornets and yellow jackets are the most common.
- Yellow jackets like to live in nests they build in the ground or in stone walls.
- Hornets build elaborate paper thin circular nests and wasps build smaller versions that often attach to the outside of houses.
- Bees live in hives, either man-made or ones they create in hollow trees or on tree limbs.
- All of these insects inject a chemical that produces pain, redness and swelling.
What to do:
For bee stings - Remove the stinger gently without squeezing this will avoid injecting the rest of the toxin. The stinger can be removed by scraping it away gently at the point of insertion.
For all bite and stings - Apply ice pack or a cold compress. For intense pain, redness and swelling, an antihistamine can be given. These simple first aid measures usually are sufficient.
Call the doctor when:
- Significant swelling and redness are noted and persists.
- Seek emergency help if a rash or hives erupt or if you notice breathing difficulties.
- Shock like symptoms, such as cold clammy skin, pale color or dizziness occurs.
Most stings cause only discomfort at the site of the bite. If signs of more general reaction occur this could indicate an allergic response or even the onset of a condition known as anaphylaxis. Both could be life threatening. For persons know to be allergic to insect stings or those who become so, an emergency supply of epinephrine in a self injecting system should be available at all times. In the outdoors, do not go barefoot, do not wear bright colors that attract insects and do not mess with their homes or work. Teach children how to recognize and respect these very busy creatures of their world!
By Dr. Olson Huff FAAP
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