Once bitten

By Emma Schenk
THE sting from a jack jumper ant is excruciating – but for Launching Place resident Judy Brett, it’s life threatening.
When being stung by a JJ ant in November 2006, Ms Brett’s face swelled up like a “tomato sauce bottle”, she became extremely hot and agitated, her throat closed up and she suffered an itchy rash.
For 35 minutes, Ms Brett waited for an ambulance in a state of panic and then spent seven hours in hospital after discovering she had a rare type-one reaction to JJ bites.
“I was shocked to realise I was allergic because I had no idea,” she said.
“I want to send a warning to everyone to be aware and careful because you just don’t know what can happen in your backyard.”
Ms Brett recently signed a register of people who are allergic to the JJA venom, first started by Ferntree Gully mother Michelle Madden to make a case for funding for government-funded desensitisation treatment.
They are calling for jack jumper ant (JJA) venom immunotherapy treatment (VIT) to be subsidised under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme .
VIT is available through the health system in Tasmania, and the same sort of treatment for wasp and bee stings is provided here through the PBS.
“I would definitely get treatment if it was at a cheap cost and provided in the local area,” Ms Brett said.
Her family is now vigilant around their home, making sure they always garden with another person, use protective clothing and stay aware of their surroundings.
A study published in the Medical Journal of Australia in June supports the view that desensitisation treatment should be government funded.
University of NSW Professor Simon Brown in “Causes of ant sting anaphylaxis in Australia: the Australian Ant Venom Allergy Study”, identifies the jack jumper ant as one of three ants mainly responsible for allergies.
“VIT would vastly improve the lives of people with reactions,” Prof Brown says in the report.
Ms Madden, whose five-year-old son Ryan suffered a severe anaphylactic reaction in February, said the campaign aimed to provide the numbers that would get VIT funded sooner rather than later.
“When Ryan went into anaphylaxis I thought I was the only one,” she said.
“Suddenly there was a realisation that there are a lot of people in the same situation and we need to band together to show that there is a real demand from sufferers of JJA allergy for proper medical treatment.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Health said the department was aware of the issue and was currently in discussions with allergy experts.
He said the people who were aware they had an allergy should be in the care of a doctor, and if required an allergy specialist.
“(They) should avoid exposure and be prepared to respond to any reaction caused, such as the use of an EpiPen or similar treatment,” he said.
For further information or to register visit the JJA Desentitisation Program website at www.jjants.info, or email Ms Madden at jjants@jjant.info