Mass allergy': acute scombroid poisoning in a deployed Australian Defence Force health facility.

David Ian Ward

SO1 (Med), Headquarters 1st Division, Gallipoli Barracks, Enoggera, Queensland, Australia. david_ian_ward@hotmail.com

Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA 2011 Feb

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On the last night of disaster relief operations in Sumatra, Indonesia, a mass casualty event occurred that involved deployed Australian Defence Force personnel. Symptoms of acute urticaria, angioedema, wheeze and gastrointestinal upset were experienced to varying degrees by 16% of the deployed element. The present report describes a presumed scombroid poisoning cluster and demonstrates the difficulties of operating in a deployed environment, the confusion that might be associated with evolving non-kinetic mass casualties, and provides a learning opportunity for an unusual mass casualty incident. © 2011 The Author. EMA © 2011 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and Australasian Society for Emergency Medicine.

Citation

David Ian Ward. Mass allergy': acute scombroid poisoning in a deployed Australian Defence Force health facility. Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA. 2011 Feb;23(1):98-102