Swarm of bees attacks poly students

35 students, three staff stung during PE warm-up
Straits Times 17 Nov 11;

A GROUP of 75 students who had barely warmed up for a physical education (PE) class at Ngee Ann Polytechnic had to break into a sprint yesterday morning to escape a swarm of bees.

Three members of the staff and 35 students were stung, and taken to hospitals, though all 38 were discharged by 2.30pm - even the two members of the polytechnic's staff who were kept back for observation.

One of them was an instructor who had suffered several stings while trying to evacuate the students.

Resting at home later, she was unavailable for comment.

The bees were believed to have come from a hive on a tree near the volleyball court at the far end of the school's sports complex.

The polytechnic's spokesman said the hive, which appeared new, has been removed by pest exterminators.

She added that the pest control company was also directed to check the rest of the campus for other hives, and that sports activities had either been cancelled or relocated.

Students told The Straits Times that the school's sports and wellness class started at 8am, and the students in it were still doing their warm-up exercise when screams were heard.

Miss Charity Chen, 17, said: 'I wasn't sure what happened. We saw the bees and just ran.'

The insects went at the students' exposed arms, legs and necks; some were even stung on their heads as they fled, swatting at the bees with their bare hands or with water bottles.

Another victim said: 'It was quite chaotic because there were so many. The buzzing sound was very scary too.'

The students were at the sports complex for their weekly class, where they were to play soccer, netball and volleyball.

At the other end of the field, a student aged 17 who gave her name only as Xiu Lian was playing soccer when she heard cries for them to take cover.

She said: 'We just ran in all directions. Some of us took cover in the indoor sports hall.'

She added that when she returned to the field unscathed about an hour later, students who had been stung were sitting by the track, waiting to be taken to hospital.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force said that it sent 37 of the 38 victims to hospitals - 16 to Alexandra Hospital and another 21 to National University Hospital.

The remaining victim was taken to hospital by a member of the school staff.

It is not known what had set off the bees, but eyewitnesses said the hive could have been hit by a ball.

At about 11am yesterday, dead bees were found scattered on the field and running track, but otherwise, there was little evidence of what had happened there.

Students were going in and out of classes or taking a break in the canteens. Some had not even heard about the morning's incident.

Miss Chen said all that remained of the sting she had was a slight numbing sensation.

She added: 'I was lucky. I only have one behind my thigh. Some of my friends had two or three stings. But we're all okay.'

When bees attack

BEES do not attack for no reason and they usually sting to protect their hives, said Associate Professor Malcolm Mahadevan, head of the emergency medicine department at the National University Hospital.

One possible reason for a bee attack is that when a bee is hurt, it releases a chemical called pheromones which incites other bees to attack, he said.

Some species, such as the giant honeybee, tend to be more aggressive. Others, like carpenter bees, rarely sting.

What should a person do when stung by a bee? Prof Mahadevan's advice is: First, remove any visible stinger within a minute, either by scraping it off or using a pincer. Then apply ice or a cold compress, and elevate the limb if swollen. Anyone who has been stung more than five times should seek medical help, he said.

He also noted that some people may develop a severe allergic reaction, which could be life-threatening. They will experience symptoms such as difficulty in breathing, dizziness and confusion, and should seek medical attention immediately.

Bees at Ngee Ann Poly injure 38 people
Ambiga Raju Channel NewsAsia 16 Nov 11;

SINGAPORE: A group of Ngee Ann Polytechnic staff and student were stung by bees at the school's sports complex.

All of the injured who have been since been discharged from hospital.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it received a call about the incident around 8.30am, while students were playing soccer, netball and volleyball.

Ambulances and two specially-designed Personal Decontamination Vehicles (PDVs) were used to send the injured, 12 at a time, to hospital.

The PDV can be used as a mass-casualty decontamination facility, ambulance and as a transport vehicle.

Sixteen of the casualties were taken to Alexandra Hospital and another 21 to National University Hospital.

Thirty-seven were sent to hospital by SCDF, one staff member later went on his own.

The school said the field was cordoned off, and sports activities were cancelled or moved.

A pest control company later got rid of the bee hive.

- CNA/fa/sf

Ngee Ann bee sting victims discharged
Wendy Wong Channel NewsAsia 16 Nov 11;

SINGAPORE: The 35 students and three staff members of Ngee Ann Polytechnic - who were sent to hospital on Wednesday after being stung by bees in the school sports field - have been discharged.

The incident happened around 8.30am while students were playing soccer, netball and volleyball.

Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) officers were called in, and the group was sent to Alexandra and National University hospitals to be treated for stings on their arms and legs.

The field was cordoned off and a pest control company later got rid of the bee hive.

According to the pest control company, the hive appeared to be a new one.

The school said it is not the first bee hive discovered on campus and there had been two reported cases in the last 20 years. But it said this is the first time people have been hurt.

Doctors said if one is stung by a bee, visible stingers must be removed immediately and ice should be applied to the area.

Those with multiple stings should get medical help.

Associate Professor Malcolm Mahadevan, Head of National University Hospital's Emergency Medicine Department, explained that bees usually sting to protect their hive.

Assoc Prof Mahadevan added that noise, bright colours and perfume may incite stings.

Some people may also develop an anaphylactic reaction which is life-threatening. They will experience symptoms such as difficulty in breathing, dizziness, confusion, and should seek medical help immediately.

- CNA/wk

'I could feel them crawling on me'
Ng Kai Ling Straits Times 18 Nov 11;

THE swarm of bees that attacked a group of Ngee Ann Polytechnic students came out of nowhere, and was soon all over physical education teacher June Phoon.

Most of the 38 students and staff members who were stung in Wednesday's incident were discharged from National University Hospital and Alexandra Hospital by 12.30pm that day, but Ms Phoon was kept back for observation for two more hours, together with a colleague.

She told The Straits Times yesterday that she started running when she saw the bees, but then stopped to help a student who was rooted to the ground, too stunned to move.

'I was asking the students to run,' said Ms Phoon, 34. 'But this one girl was too shocked to move... I stayed with her to try to swipe some bees off her body. That was when the bees started attacking me.'

They were all over her, she said.

'They were on my face, neck and limbs. I could feel them crawling on me. The buzzing sound was right at my ears.'

After she finally managed to coax the student to run to safety, Ms Phoon made a dash for the showers in the polytechnic's sports complex nearby.

She said: 'You know how people would jump into pools to get rid of the bees? There was no pool nearby, so I went into the shower to flush away the bees.'

There were more than 30 stings on her face, neck, arms, legs, and even her eyelids.

The student she helped managed to get away but was also 'stung a few times'.

Ms Phoon and a colleague, Ms Puvanesvary Alahakone, were put under observation at the hospital to see if they would develop symptoms such as difficulty in breathing, dizziness and confusion, all of which could be signs of a life-threatening allergic reaction. They were both discharged by 2.30pm.

Ms Puvanesvary, who had tried to help Ms Phoon brush off the bees, could not be reached for comment.

Ms Phoon said that everything had happened so fast that she did not even think about her own safety until she got to the hospital.

'I asked the doctor about any possible complications and he assured me that I should be fine if there were no symptoms of an allergic reaction,' she added.

Her doctor prescribed antibiotics, anti-inflammatory medication and painkillers.

Ms Phoon said yesterday that other than itchiness where the stings were, she felt fine. She did, however, develop a fever on Wednesday night.

The polytechnic's spokesman said yesterday that the cordon around the sports complex where the incident happened was still up, and would only be removed after the campus is checked thoroughly by the pest control company.

Mr Mun Kwok On, the school's director of student development and alumni relations, commended the three teachers for their 'tremendous courage' in dealing with the sudden bee attack.

He said of Ms Phoon: 'Even while she was being treated in the hospital, June's primary concern was whether the others were all right.'

Looking back on what happened, Ms Phoon said she would not have done anything differently.

'If one of the students had been stung as badly as I was, I wouldn't know how to answer to the parents,' she said.