Lets start from the beginning. Little bee or wasp stings poor unsuspecting tramper. If you’re not allergic this will be nothing more than a temporary pain until the poison gets out of your system. Rub some anti-histamine cream onto the bite, and you’ll be sore but OK.

If you are allergic the potential problems are very serious for you could go into anaphylactic shock. This can cause rapid death unless treated promptly. Anaphylactic shock is an immediate and overwhelming allergic reaction, usually to an insect sting, drug, or food. Common sources are bee or wasp stings, penicillin, aspirin, seafood, nuts and berries.

Contact with the offending substance (called allergen) causes the release of histamine and other substances from injured tissues. This causes blood vessels to leak, the blood pressure to fall, bronchial walls to swell, and smooth muscle in the bronchi (your lungs) and causes other organs to go into spasm. The affected individual may develop hives, acute respiratory distress, wheezing, massive swelling of the face and tongue, nausea, vomiting, cramps and diarrhea. The condition may progress rapidly to vasogenic shock, convulsions coma and death. Not a very nice scenario folks for the victim or those faced with trying to treat the problem.

What can you do? Well there is an anti-dote for anaphylactic shock, its called epinephrine, better known by most of us as adrenalin. The medical product is generally called EpiPen or Ana-Kit. This needs to be injected into the person who is having an anaphylactic shock. If you don’t have this then antihistamine tablets are an alternative, but maybe hard to give it to someone if their throat has swelled up so that breathing is difficult, let alone trying to swallow a tablet.

If the person has this medication with them, read the instructions carefully, injecting it in the wrong place can be fatal as well. Often a second injection will be needed within ten minutes if the person doesn’t improve. Take the person immediately to hospital or give CPR. For obvious reasons this is going to be difficult in the bush for the time to get assistance is considerable.

Essentially it is the responsibility of the individual to carry the correct medication, and to bring your allergy to the attention of the group leader. You should also show/tell the whole group where the medication is in your pack so the closest person to you at the time of any attack can give you assistance; time is likely to be of the essence. It is the responsibility of everyone in the group to assist anybody who has an allergic reaction.

It has been suggested that the Club have some epinephrine in Club first aid kits. Currently this has not occurred due to the high cost and short life of the anti-dote. Also it is difficult to determine and administer the correct dose, for the wrong dose can be fatal. In the USA only people properly trained and licensed can give injections of epinephrine; though they can assist patients to give injections themselves. It would be a hell of a judgment call for someone to have to decide to give epinephrine, and in what quantity to someone. Therefore it is better if you are allergic to have your own specially measured dose prepared and carried with you.

The Club will investigate this issue further and if epinephrine is included in Club first aid kits you will be advised. Until then please be responsible for your own medication. If you have any medical queries as a result of this article then I suggest you direct them to your own doctor, for I am only an accountant and take no responsibility for you acting on any of the information set out above. Its just that, for your information only.

Darren