A victim describes

Wasp Sting: Emergency Medication Currently in Short Supply

Half-rotten fruit is a treat for insects (right). EpiPens containing epinephrine (left) have recently been hard to come by.(Bild: Krone-Collage/Patrick Huber, Erwin Graf)

Wasps are particularly bothersome this year—and also extremely dangerous for people with allergies. The problem: A vital emergency medication is now in short supply. A woman from Tyrol describes her search for an EpiPen for her daughter, but the current supply issue is affecting all of Austria.

They’re ruining our time on the patio or in the garden, and this year they’re out in greater numbers than usual whenever there’s an opportunity to snack on cake or lemonade—the wasps! In the first half of August, the Tyrolean Red Cross alone— as reported —recorded 175 emergency calls, compared to just 17 during the same period last year.

For people with allergies—of whom there are about 300,000 in Austria—a wasp sting can turn into a race against time. So-called EpiPens—syringes containing epinephrine that help manage a life-threatening anaphylactic shock—serve as emergency medication. But EpiPens are currently in short supply.

The shortage isn’t limited to Tyrol but affects all of Austria and beyond. The Apo app lets you find out where some are still available nearby.

Matthias König, Präsident der Tiroler Apothekerkammer

Bild: Christof Birbaumer

Half-rotten fruit is a treat for insects (right). EpiPens containing epinephrine (left) have been hard to come by lately.(Bild: Krone-Collage/Patrick Huber, Erwin Graf)

Andrea Bichler, a resident of Tyrol, experienced this firsthand: “My 17-year-old daughter was stung at home and had an allergic reaction with difficulty breathing. She had never had a problem like this before.” At Kufstein Hospital, where Bichler works as a nurse, the teenager was given cortisone. “As a precaution, we were then given a prescription for an EpiPen and went to a pharmacy in Kufstein, where we were told to come back at the end of September,” the Tyrolean woman continued.

Trip to Salzburg Avoided at the Last Minute
The system showed that there was still one EpiPen available in Wildschönau—“we managed to snag the last one.” The next closest option would have been a pharmacy in St. Johann im Pongau, Salzburg, 120 kilometers away!

You can use the Austrian Chamber of Pharmacists’ app to find out where medications are still available.(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

When will there be enough medication again?
Matthias König, president of the Tyrolean Chamber of Pharmacists, is aware of the shortage: “The supply problem affects not only Tyrol but all of Austria. I recently checked in Germany. But EpiPens are scarce there, too,” says König, describing what appears to be a Europe-wide phenomenon.

For people with allergies, this is naturally a worrying situation: “But those affected know that if they don’t have an emergency pen, they can definitely get help from the nearest doctor.”

The situation should ease next week
The good news: The situation should ease up again next week. “According to our information, sufficient supplies will be available again by then,” explains König. For anyone who urgently needs an EpiPen right now, he recommends the Apo-App from the Austrian Chamber of Pharmacists. By entering the medication, users can check in real time where supplies are still available in their area. Currently, the nearest location is often far away.