Hornet stings kill mother, hospitalize son

Vu Duc Quang, a doctor at the Moc Chau General Hospital, confirmed Wednesday that the mother and son, whose identities have not been revealed, were stung by hornets.

The mother died at home while the son, 31, was hospitalized with around 20 stings in his head, face and neck which showed signs of necrosis. He has been given painkillers and connected with IV drips. His health is stabilizing, but he would still need to be monitored for some time, Quang said.

He said the hospital has received many cases of people getting stung by bees, wasps and hornets over the last week.

A 70-year-old man was recently hospitalized with breathing difficulties, nausea, rashes and anaphylactic shock due to a bee sting. Another 32-year-old woman was hospitalized after being stung in the head by hornets. In both these cases, the patients are in stable health after treatment.