ROMA. September and October are the riskiest months for children allergic to wasp venom, including wasps Eastern wasp, reported in swarms in recent weeks especially in the city of Rome. It is in this period, in fact, that the greatest number of specimens in circulation are concentrated before the winter “stop”.
Against dangerous reactions such as anaphylactic shock in case of accidental puncture,Bambino Gesù Pediatric Hospital There is a specific vaccination service (desensitizing immunotherapy) which can be accessed by children and young people diagnosed with severe allergy to the venom of hymenoptera (wasps, bees, hornets).
The allergy to the venom of insects such as wasps, bees and hornets, consists in an exaggerated reaction of the organism to their sting. In addition to the normal burning, redness, pain and itching in the area of the sting, we can speak of a real allergy when other symptoms appear such as hives, swelling of the throat, swelling of the lips and asthma, up to anaphylactic shock, or a severe pressure drop which can even be fatal. Hymenoptera stings trigger allergic reactions in about 2 out of 100 people. Among children, the phenomenon is much less frequent than in adults. However, precisely because of insect poison, 5 to 20 people (adults and children) die every year in Italy.
But how does the “life-saving vaccine” work?
Desensitizing immunotherapy consists in the subcutaneous inoculation of increasing doses of the venom of the insect to which one is allergic, starting from extremely low dosages. In this way the organism progressively “gets used” to the poison until it reaches a tolerance threshold that avoids serious reactions in case of accidental sting.
The vaccine “must be continued for 5 years and the effect is usually maintained for many years after discontinuation of the treatment – he explains Alessandro Fiocchi, responsible for Baby Jesus Allergology – but the treatment is fully effective as early as the twelfth month: if the baby is accidentally stung, he no longer risks anaphylactic shock. “Desensitizing immunotherapy is a procedure that must be carried out exclusively in a highly specialized allergy center, under close medical observation.