Fire Agency Issues 'Bee Sting Incident Warning'

Average of 47 Emergency Dispatches per Day for Bee Stings from July to September in the Last 3 Years

Yongsan Fire Station Residential Area Bee Safety Measures (Provided by Seoul City)

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The National Fire Agency announced that it will issue a "Bee Sting Accident Warning" starting from 9 a.m. on the 30th due to an increase in bee sting incidents.

Bee sting accidents begin to surge in July and occur most frequently in August and September. Over the past three years, there has been an average of 47 emergency dispatches per day nationwide for bee sting incidents from July to September. This is closely related to the life cycle of hornets, whose activity increases and population rapidly grows due to rising temperatures.

The bee sting accident forecasting system started issuing warnings last year based on the number of dispatches for bee sting incidents. Last year, a cautionary warning was issued on August 13 and an alert on September 4.

Over the past three years, an average of eight deaths per year have occurred due to bee stings. This year, there were fatal cases in February in Boeun-gun, Chungbuk, and in July in Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do. Therefore, it is crucial to remain vigilant about bee sting accidents and exercise special caution during outdoor activities.

Bees show high aggression toward dark-colored clothing, so to prevent bee stings, it is recommended to wear light-colored clothes during outdoor activities and avoid perfumes or strongly scented cosmetics.

When bees attack, cover your head and quickly evacuate to a place at least 20 meters away. If stung by a bee, immediately remove the stinger and disinfect or wash the affected area with clean water to prevent infection. Applying an ice pack can help alleviate pain.

Baek Deok-gon, Director of the 119 Rescue and Emergency Medical Service Bureau, emphasized, "Some patients stung by bees may experience a drop in blood pressure and difficulty breathing, leading to anaphylactic shock, which can be fatal. If shock symptoms occur, immediately call 119 and seek hospital treatment."

The National Fire Agency, along with operating the bee sting accident forecasting system, is strengthening the response system for emergency dispatches related to hive removal and bee sting patients at fire stations nationwide. Since July 2019, a pilot project has been underway to expand the scope of paramedics' duties to allow on-site administration of medication in cases of anaphylactic shock in bee sting patients.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.