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premier doug ford swallows a bee while talking about privatizing health care
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dundalk - aug, 12, 2022 - premier of ontario doug ford reacts after swallowing a bee during a press conference. premier of ontario youtube
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“holy christ, i swallowed a bee,” is what ontario premier doug ford said, after the insect flew into his mouth as he answered questions from the media on the current health-care staff shortage. after taking a moment to sputter and cough loudly while putting his fingers into his mouth in what looked like an effort to reach the offending and unlucky bee, ford took a swig of water, joking, “this is going to be played over and over again.” https://twitter.com/to_resident/status/1558118860502474756 while he’s probably right, the press conference continued with ford telling reporters that he’s a strong believer in public health care, but the discussion quickly buzzed back to the bee.
“this is a good one … i can’t remember what we were talking about,” he said. “i’m going to be rushed to the hospital to get this bee out of here.”
it isn’t clear whether or not ford received medical care, but it got us thinking: what happens when one swallows a bee?
a lot depends on the kind of bug
according to dr. bobbi pritt, a microbiologist, pathologist, and director of the clinical parasitology laboratory at the mayo clinic in rochester, eating a bug isn’t usually a reason to worry. in fact, she told the wall street journal’s burning question that our bodies digest spiders, mites, and ticks, and insects such as gnats, flies, mosquitoes, fleas, and bedbugs, “just like any other food.”
when it gets concerning, however, is when the insect sitting in your gullet can sting — such as a bee, wasp, fire ant, and some types of caterpillars.
“usually eating one will just cause mild pain and localized swelling if it bites or stings you,” pritt said. however, if you are allergic, she points out, then a sting could mean hives, swelling of the face and throat, difficulty breathing and even death.
there are other bugs that can also cause difficulty breathing if they are inhaled, she said, like the (gross!) cockroach — especially in those with asthma. there is also possible exposure to bacteria, like the one carried by flies called shigella, which can cause severe and bloody diarrhea if one of them finds their way into your mouth. you may also want to avoid eating fleas so as to not get the double-pored dog tapeworm which, according to the illinois department of natural resources, can cause anal irritation and intestinal disorders.
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as for ford, twitter has been on fire with people poking fun at the premier as well as lamenting the fate of the bee — plus a number of references to closed emergency departments after he joked about needing medical care.
and it’s unclear whether or not ford is allergic to bees, according oak brook allergists, someone with a severe allergy typically develops anaphylaxis within two hours of being stung.
lisa machado is the executive producer of healthing.
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