135 children stung by wasps during Terry Fox Run

Two children were taken to hospital and many more were left in tears after a swarm of wasps stung 135 students during a Kamloops elementary school’s Terry Fox Run on Thursday.

Eyes filled with tears, five-yearold Lucas Clarke of Dufferin Elementary School held a Freezie to his leg as a makeshift cold pack and pointed to three places he was stung. “On my knee, and on my head, and the first sting I got was on this knee,” the Grade 1 student said.

Diana Skoglund, communications manager for school district 73, said most of the school’s 215 students were participating in the annual run in the hills behind the school when the first runners stirred up a ground wasp nest.

Runner after runner followed behind, apparently annoying the wasps, and resulting in student after student being stung, some several times.

One parent described a wasp going down the shirt of one little girl, stinging her repeatedly. The students were gathered in the school gym for observation as firefighters and paramedics raced to the scene.

“None of the children who were known to be anaphylactic ... had a reaction,” Skoglund said, adding they all carried Epi-pens in any case. However, two students not known to have allergies showed signs of an anaphylactic reaction and were taken to hospital for observation. Skoglund said all parents were immediately notified.

Jasmine Clarke was at home when she got the call, quickly packing up her toddler and heading to the school to pick up teary-eyed Lucas. “Complete panic and shock,” she said. “As soon as I got to the school, and all this, with all the kids around, it was quite emotional.”

Michael Saat, acting district supervisor for the B.C. Ambulance Service, said paramedics were on scene to watch for allergies. “It doesn’t appear to be anything major at this point.”

It appears most students were just shaken up. Luckily, there are moms and Freezies.

“Many of the children went home with their parents. Many others stayed, finished their lunch and went to class,” Skoglund said.

She said there will be an investigation into the incident and whether to bring in an exterminator.