Hurricane Helene’s deadly flooding in western North Carolina disrupted the underground nests of stinging insects, causing them to swarm workers and residents trying to recover from the storm.
The surge of stings from yellow jackets, bees and other insects has prompted the state health department to buy Benadryl and epinephrine injections as aid groups also work to acquire the medications and get them to those in the affected areas.
Alycia Clark, Direct Relief’s chief pharmacy officer, told The Associated Press that many of those seeking treatment for insect stings are electricians working to restore powerlines and other outdoor workers.
“With every disaster, we get requests for EpiPens, but this one is definitely an outlier,” Clark said.
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The group told The AP that it has sent more than 2,000 EpiPen injections to community health centers, clinics and pharmacies across western North Carolina.
Pharmacists in North Carolina are providing emergency refills for those already prescribed allergy medications and is allowing people to buy epinephrine injections such as EpiPens without a prescription, a state health department spokesperson told the outlet.
While most people are not allergic to stings from wasps, bees and other insects, irritation and pain can be intense and stings can swell and remain painful for days, according to the Mayo Clinic. Some people, however, can have a severe allergic reaction that can lead to anaphylaxis that can cause difficulty breathing, swelling of the tongue and throat, weak pulse and loss of consciousness. In these situations, it’s critical to administer epinephrine immediately.
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Being stung more than a dozen times can also cause a buildup of venom in the body that can cause serious sickness that can include dizziness, fever, convulsions or vomiting.
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Hurricane Helene killed at least 232 people as the storm tore through the southeast. Hundreds more are still unaccounted for from the deadliest mainland U.S. hurricane since Katrina.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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