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Every year, many children and adults experience the negative effects of bee and wasp stings. The effects of bites vary from mild skin redness to anaphylactic shock. If a child has been bitten by a bee, it is urgent to provide him with first aid.
Why a bee sting is dangerous for a child
The pain and burning are not caused by a puncture with a tiny sting of a bee or a wasp, but the very hit of the sting of an insect under the skin. The sting secretes bee venom (or apitoxin). This is a very complex substance in its structure, which is a whole cocktail of hydrochloric and phosphoric acid, as well as other specific biological substances.
For example, a toxin such as melitin leads to the destruction of red blood cells, increases vascular permeability and helps the poison spread faster in the body. Histamine, which is also part of bee venom, is a powerful allergen. This substance is the cause of severe edema.
Attention! Histamine can cause a contraction of the bronchi in a child, vasodilation, and lead to a rapid decrease in pressure. Therefore, if a child is bitten by a bee, you should immediately contact a pediatrician!
The excitation of all nerves is facilitated by the substance apamine. From hyaluronidase, rapid edema occurs due to the destruction of hyaluronic acid, an element of connective tissue. Phospholipase A2 damages cell walls.
A child was bitten by a bee: how the child's body reacts
Babies are the hardest hit by a bee or wasp sting, as children are very sensitive to any manifestation of pain. Therefore, if a child is stung by a bee, he can feel the discomfort of a burning sensation for a long time. Moreover, the child's body is less resistant to the effects of substances in the composition of bee venom. Often a bee sting in a child leads not only to edema and redness, but also to severe allergies. Anaphylactic shock may develop within the first 10 minutes. If you do not provide competent medical care on time, the negative consequences will not be long in coming.
Can a child have a fever from a bee sting?
If the sting gets into the veins and arteries, poison can be found directly in the blood. It triggers a response from the immune system. An increased temperature indicates that inflammation has begun in the body.
What to do if a baby is stung by a bee
When a child has been bitten by a bee, you cannot hesitate with help! So that the swelling does not last too long, the following methods and tools will come in handy:
- If there are a lot of bites, you should give the child as much liquid as possible (plain water is better).
- A cold object (coin, spoon) or a compress made from a solution of soda or salt (1 tsp per glass) should be applied to the stung area.
- On the street it is worth trying to find such plants as calendula, parsley, plantain. They need to be rinsed, ground into a gruel and held on the bitten site.
- Fresh tea or dandelion juice in the form of milk is also suitable.
- If the bite is very painful, you can give your child Paracetamol. Antiallergic drugs are given to the baby only if the instructions for the medicine indicate that this drug is suitable for him by age.
- Gel "Fenistil" will help to cope with allergy symptoms.
- For the smallest children, a small bath of motherwort, valerian, string will be good.
First aid for a child with a bee sting
The main thing is to calm the child, distract him from the pain, since a careful examination of the stung place is important. The sting can be picked up with an antiseptic-treated needle. A pin is also suitable for this purpose. You can also use tweezers or manicure scissors.
After removing the sting, the wound must be processed. A solution of potassium permanganate will help, which should be applied to the bitten site with sterile cotton wool. If there are no antiseptics nearby, you can rinse the bite in clean water. After that, cover the wound with a napkin or cotton wool slightly moistened with salt water.
What to do if a child is bitten by a bee
When bitten in the hand or finger, the entire limb can swell. To smooth out the effect, it is worth pulling out the sting as carefully as possible. First, you need to reassure the child so that he can carefully get rid of the sting without crushing the poisonous ampoule at its end. After that, a tampon moistened with a solution of soda is applied to the bite. Alkaline composition neutralizes bee venom.
What to do if a child is bitten by a bee in the leg
When a bee has bitten a child by the leg, it is worth carefully examining the limb. If there is a point or hemorrhage in the bitten area, this does not mean that the sting is still left. Therefore, do not poke too much into the wound. If the point is slightly suppurative, you can tear it off with disinfected tweezers or just clean fingers. But after that, the wound should be treated. For inflammation, you can put a compress of chopped parsley. After absorbing the juice, the compress should be changed.
What to do if a bee stung a child in the eye
This is the most difficult case. A doctor should be consulted quickly. It is necessary to try to distract the child from the pain and prohibit crying - to make it clear that crying is dangerous. You can give your baby acceptable (in an acceptable dosage) drugs for allergies.
If the apple of the eye has been stung, you cannot act yourself. An ambulance must be called immediately, otherwise the child's eyesight will be severely impaired.
What measures to take for bites in the neck, lip, behind the ear
If a person is bitten near the lymph nodes, one must immediately think about the detention of the poison. Drinking plenty of fluids is recommended - little by little over short periods of time. Pharmacological balms and antihistamine ointments will help the baby resist infection.
If the lip has been bitten, you need to quickly remove the sting, apply ice or a wet handkerchief. It is good if there is ascorbic acid nearby, Suprastin, Loratadin, sweet tea (black and not hot) is also suitable.
How can you anoint a bee sting for a child
Many people do not want to use medications, but traditional medicine may well help. With allergies, it is possible only in its auxiliary role, without abandoning the main treatment. To eliminate burning and swelling with a bee sting, the following will help the child:
- A cold compress or ice wrapped in a cloth for at least 30 minutes.
- A cotton swab or napkin soaked in alcohol or a weak vinegar solution.
- You can use lemon juice for a compress, as well as chopped onions, garlic or tomatoes.
- You can attach a chopped apple.
- Shabby parsley will do as well.
- You can lubricate the edema with Psilo-Balm or Fenistil gel.
- A tablet "Validol" dipped in water will help.
- 20-25 drops of Cordiamine will help to lower the pressure in the arteries due to urticaria.
If bad signs like swelling and fever are getting worse, you should go to the pediatrician as soon as possible!
Removal of edema and swelling
If a child has been bitten by a bee on the finger, and he (the finger) is swollen, then the following folk remedies can be used:
- You can attach a gruel of salt soaked in water.
- "Diphenhydramine" will help if the swelling is too extensive.
- Water and baking soda will remove swelling and redness.
- Plantain or Kalanchoe in the form of a leaf, ground into a gruel, will relieve swelling and reduce the burning sensation.
- To relieve the burning sensation, you can anoint around the wound with toothpaste (it will cool the bite site and reduce redness).
- Onions neutralize poison very well.
- You can keep tea or calendula in the form of lotions for 30-40 minutes.
- Crush the mint, wet the bandage with its juice and fix it for 2 hours.
- Compress made from gruel from plants such as tansy, St. John's wort, wormwood, dandelion, thyme, Kalanchoe will help reduce swelling.
- You can attach a freshly cut slice of lemon, apple, tomato, garlic or potato.
- A weak solution of vinegar (apple cider and table vinegar), which can be moistened with a cotton swab, is also suitable.
When to see a doctor
The normal reaction of the skin and the child's body if the child is stung by a bee or a wasp is a slight redness and itching. But an allergic child may develop Quincke's edema, in which you should not expect an improvement in the baby's condition, but you should immediately seek medical help.
You should go to the doctor for any bite as soon as possible. Only a pediatrician will give competent advice to parents if a child is stung by a bee. The doctor will look at the bitten area and listen to a story about the circumstances of the bite.
The following video describes the signs of anaphylactic shock in children:
Conclusion
It is important to remember that improper actions provoke insects to attack massively. Bee venom is deadly if too much of it gets into a child's body. Therefore, on vacation, you need to try to protect the child from the attack of bees. You can explain to your baby that you cannot play with insects.
