Wasp sting mortality in Australia

Wasp sting fatalities have rarely been reported in Australia. We used data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics and State coronial authorities to investigate deaths from wasp stings in Australia from 1979 through 1998. Seven cases were identified, all involving men in rural settings. Five of the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inMedical journal of Australia Vol. 173; no. 4; p. 198
Main Authors McGain, F, Harrison, J, Winkel, K D
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Australia 21.08.2000
Subjects
Adult
Aged
Animals
Australia - epidemiology
Humans
Insect Bites and Stings - mortality
Male
Middle Aged
Rural Population
Wasps
Australia
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Summary:Wasp sting fatalities have rarely been reported in Australia. We used data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics and State coronial authorities to investigate deaths from wasp stings in Australia from 1979 through 1998. Seven cases were identified, all involving men in rural settings. Five of the seven victims had prior histories of wasp or bee venom allergy, or both, but none carried injectable adrenalin. All patients with a history of systemic Hymenoptera sting allergy should undergo assessment for immunotherapy and carry adrenalin.
ISSN:0025-729X
1326-5377
DOI:10.5694/j.1326-5377.2000.tb125600.x