A NINE-year-old Scots boy has died on holiday in Florida after
apparently being stung by a wasp.
Stuart Kerr, the son of Aberdeen businessman Ian Kerr and his wife
Jan, collapsed after being stung during a tour of Universal Studios.
Holidaymakers, including doctors and nurses on the scene, tried to
revive him and he was rushed to Arnold Palmer Memorial Hospital in
Orlando where it was discovered he had stopped breathing because of
anaphylactic shock -- a condition caused by the severe reaction to the
sting.
Tests are still being carried out to confirm that it was a wasp sting
which caused the allergic reaction.
Stuart, who suffered from severe asthma, was put on a life-support
machine following the tragedy on Sunday but after consultation between
doctors and his family this was switched off 24 hours later.
Mr Gordon Mackay, Mr Kerr's business partner, said Stuart's parents
had derived some comfort from the fact that his organs had been donated
to help save the lives of at least four other people.
''Stuart was a remarkable little man and he had carried an organ donor
card for some time,'' said Mr Mackay. ''The fact that as a nine-year-old
he carried a donor card says a lot about how caring Stuart was.
''He suffered severe asthma but coped admirably and led a full life.
He bore the burden of the asthma well and was passionate about sport. He
had been ski-ing since he was about two, he played rugby, and he enjoyed
swimming and karate.''
Mr Mackay, a partner in Grampian Business Products of which Mr Kerr
was co-founder and is managing director, said Florida was a favourite
holiday destination for the youngster who was a pupil at Robert Gordon's
College in Aberdeen.
He said he had been on holiday there last year with his father and had
returned this year during the October holidays with his parents and his
14-year-old sister Christine.
Dr George Russell, a consultant in medical paediatrics at the Royal
Aberdeen Children's Hospital, said yesterday that anaphylaxis was a
severe and overwhelming allergic reaction.
Instead of being confined to one area such as the skin, lungs, or nose
as with normal allergies, victims suffered a systemic reaction which
caused shock.
He said that, while fatal episodes were extremely rare, he had seen a
marked increase in the number of people who suffered from anaphylaxis in
recent years.
''I have been here for 25 years and in the last five years I have seen
more cases than probably in the previous 20,'' he said. He added it was
not clear whether the increase was because of an increasing number of
cases or simply more referrals because of publicity highlighting the
condition.
He said people suffered from anaphylactic episodes as a result of
allergies. One common cause was penicillin, although it was thought that
in the past that may have been due to impurities in the antibiotic.
Foods commonly associated with the condition are fish, and in
particular shellfish, fresh strawberries, and nuts.
Insect stings were another cause.
Dr Russell said the acute treatment for an episode was the
administration of adrenalin. People who were aware of their condition
could self administer adrenaline in the same way as diabetics injected
insulin.
Adrenalin sprays could also alleviate any swelling of the throat.
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