Pine processionary development, pine processionary caterpillars are highly irritating to the skin. Contact with the hairs of the caterpillar can cause severe rashes (urticaria) and eye irritation. Some individuals may have an allergic reaction to the caterpillar's hairs. 5th stage larvae can eject hairs when threatened or stressed; the hairs, which have the form of harpoons, then penetrate and irritate all areas of exposed skin nearby with an urticating protein. Allergic reactions may follow in susceptible individuals on subsequent exposure to the hairs. The pine processionary is an economic pest in coniferous forests in southern Europe. It is controlled to some extent
Natural hazard human activity. Disease is a natural hazard that can be enhanced by human factors such as urbanization or poor sanitation. Disease affecting multiple people can be termed an outbreak or epidemic. In some cases, a hazard exists in that a human-made defense against disease could fail, for example through antibiotic resistance. Each of the natural hazard types outlined above have very different characteristics, in terms of the spatial and temporal scales they influence, hazard frequency and return period, and measures of intensity and impact. These complexities result in "single-hazard" assessments being commonplace, where the hazard potential from one particular hazard