MANGALURU: A 10-year-old boy, who was admitted following multiple wasp stings in a rural area of Dakshin Kannada district, has been treated successfully. It may be recalled that a seven-year-old girl, a student of a private school, succumbed to the injuries from the wasp attack on Saturday, while her cousin was shifted to a private hospital for treatment.Preliminary investigation suggests that the children accidentally disturbed a swarm of yellow paper wasps, leading to severe systemic reactions with 5–8 sting bites. Although the survivor showed early signs of kidney injury, timely intervention saved his life. A team of multispecialists from KMC Hospital, involving Dr Swati Rao, Consultant Pediatric Intensivist, nephrologists Dr Mayoor Prabhu and Dr Dushyanth, and cardiologist Dr Rajesh Bhat, along with support staff, played a vital role in the recovery of this patient.Dr Swati Rao said, “These cases highlight the critical importance of rapid medical attention supervised under a multi-specialty setup after multiple insect stings, particularly in children and rural populations, as early recognition and intervention can be life-saving. The child displayed signs of systemic envenomation, including high heart rate, cold extremities, respiratory distress, and generalised edema. He was referred promptly after his urine turned reddish, which is an early indicator of kidney involvement. This allowed doctors to initiate detoxification and organ-protective therapy before multi-organ damage could occur.”“Wasp venom is a complex mixture of enzymes and biogenic amines, which have potent toxic effects on the body, causing red blood cell destruction, muscle damage, inflammation, and disruption of vital organ function. Yellow paper wasps are particularly dangerous because they sting in groups, delivering large amounts of venom that can rapidly overwhelm the body’s defences, especially in children,” she said.
