In summer, all paths lead to the beach or the countryside, allowing a closer contact with nature. Although most of the unusual encounters with our fauna are pleasant memories, we are not free to be bitten or bitten when we get too close. Find out about the dangers and learn how to prevent them.
The summer heat pushes thousands of Portuguese people towards the countryside and attracts crowds to the seafront. The holidays encourage the most naked bodies, t-shirts, fine fabrics and sandals, which obviously predisposes you to a greater probability of being bitten or bitten by one of the many animals of our fauna. However, don’t think that animals like to cross paths with us, because, in fact, they try to avoid us at all costs. We are the ones who usually get too close and bother them with our summer activities.
Contrary to what one might think, the danger does not come from the large animals of our fauna, but from the small creatures that live around us. Its danger comes mainly from its chemical arsenals made up of poisonous substances, called toxins. Although, in general, animal bites and bites are nothing more than small scares and brief moments of pain, they can have more serious consequences, such as the anaphylactic reaction (the body’s allergic reaction to the poison that can endanger vital functions, such as breathing and blood circulation). These situations are very rare, occurring mainly in people with impaired health or allergies and also in children and the elderly. In these cases, after a bite or bite caused by more unusual animals, medical advice is convenient, because each person has different reactions to different toxins. For any clarification on animal bites and bites, the National Medical Emergency System (INEM) provides the Anti-Poison Information Center, available 24 hours a day, by calling 808 250 143 or the national emergency number 112.
Bees, wasps and other insects
The order of the Hymenoptera (insects that have two pairs of membranous wings) is one of the largest in the class of insects. In our fauna, the representatives of this group most responsible for human bites are bees and wasps.
The bee has a barbed stinger attached to three poison glands. Due to the fact that it is barbed, the stinger is attached to the wound after the bite and if it is not removed it will continue to inject poison. Although it is not a great consolation, you should know that due to the fact that the bee is excised at the time of the sting, it usually ends up dying, that is, it can only use the stinger only once for a single sting.
Bee venom consists of several substances (whistle, histamine, serotonin, kinins, etc.). The amount of poison injected by a single bee is too small to endanger the life of a human being, unless it provokes an anaphylactic reaction, however, multiple stings, resulting from a swarm, can inoculate an amount of worrying poison which can cause potentially deadly reactions.
