You can stay away from insects. The trick is persuading them to stay away from you. You can reduce your chances of a disastrous encounter by following the steps in the earlier box.

Given the numbers and agility of our flying and crawling pests, however, you can’t be sure you will never experience a surprise attack. To be on the safe side, doctors recommend that anyone who has a past allergy to venomous insects and who shows a positive skin test receive immunotherapy (also called hyposensitization or desensitization). Immunotherapy is vaccination against bites and stings. Starting with a weak dose, extracts of insect venom are injected regularly, and increased in strength until you can tolerate the amount expected from a bite or sting. Then you receive regular injections to maintain tolerance -weekly during the insect season and every two or three weeks the rest of the year. (Immunotherapy for mosquito bites is fairly successful, but less effective than injections for bee stings.)

Immunotherapy with insect venom is fairly safe, even for children. Nevertheless, it’s reserved for people prone to severe, life-threatening reactions. And since no medical treatment is 100 per cent effective, allergists strongly urge allergic people to carry insect-sting kits (available by prescription) as a backup even if they’re receiving immunotherapy. The kits contain adrenalin and other emergency drugs to stop a reaction. Other doctors go so far as to advise anyone who has suffered even mild symptoms of an allergic reaction to bites or stings to carry the kits. Keep one handy all the time: in your home, in your car and so on.

It’s also wise to wear a medical warning tag or bracelet to alert medical personnel that you are indeed allergic to insects. In the event that you pass out or become incoherent after a sting or bite, precious time will be saved. Your symptoms won’t be confused with those of a heart attack or other illness.

We realize that even with an insect-sting kit tucked away in the picnic basket, anyone who is allergic will still recoil at the sight of a bee or mosquito. But knowing exactly what to do should take some of the anxiety out of venturing into their domain.

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Related Posts:

• DRUG ALLERGY: ASPIRIN, VACCINES AND INSULIN AS TROUBLESOME DRUGS
• UNDERSTANDING ALLERGY: FERRETING OUT FORMALDEHYDE
• PREVENTING FOOD ALLERGIES IN CHILDREN
• NO-ALLERGY DIET: TESTING ADDITIONAL FOODS

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