When grey nomads are told to be aware of venomous creatures that sting and bite on their travels, most instantly conjur up images snakes, spiders and jellyfish … but it seems it is the humble bee which actually presents the biggest threat.
A University of Melbourne study has revealed that, in the past 13 years, 42,000 people in Australia have been hospitalised due to venomous bites and stings … and a full third of those were a result of bee stings.
Hornets, wasps and bees have caused 27 deaths since 2003 – as have snakes – but the number of hospitalisations due to bee stings is double that of snake bites.
The Herald-Sun newspaper reports that ants have actually caused more deaths than spiders and jellyfish. In the past 13 years, five people have died and 4,533 people have been hospitalised from ant and tick bites. In the same timeframe, nobody has died from a spider bite and only three people have died as a result of box jellyfish sting.
While bee stings are normally harmless but painful, some people who are allergic to the sting can go into anaphylactic shock. These reactions can prove fatal and they happen very quickly. While more than half of the people who died from snake bites made it to hospital, only 44% of people who died from an allergic reaction to an insect sting managed to do so.
University of Melbourne public health expert at the Australian venom unit, Ronelle Welton, had one possible explanation for the high fatality rates for bee stings.
“Perhaps it’s because bees are so innocuous that most people don’t really fear them in the same way they fear snakes,” he told the Herald-Sun. “Without having a previous history of allergy, you might get bitten and although nothing happens the first time, you’ve still developed an allergic sensitivity.”
In other words, anyone can develop an allergy at any time.
Australian population surveys have previously shown that up to 2.8% of people have had episodes after a bee sting consistent with systemic allergic reactions rather than just local swelling.
There are certainly many grey nomads who are acutely aware that they have an allergy to bee stings and are therefore extremely careful when travelling – particularly when in remote locations away from medical facilities.
Carrying an Epi-pen, which can be self-injected in the event of an allergic reaction, can be a reassuring insurance policy. Epi-pens should only be used when there are signs and symptoms of a severe, anaphylactic type reaction.
However, the University of Melbourne research shows that most of the deaths and hospitalisations caused by venomous creatures happened in populated areas rather than the isolated areas that might have been expected.
It said more than half of deaths happened at home, and 64% occurred in major cities and inner-regional areas where healthcare is readily accessible.
The research highlighted regional variations, with South Australia having a lot more stings and anaphylaxis from bees, while in Queensland there were more snake bites, and in Tasmania the biggest issue was jumper ant anaphylaxis.
Travellers may also be interested to know that most bites and stings from venomous creatures occur between April and October.
