According to Chapter 27. "Allergy to Venomous Insects" by Justin O.
Schmidt, Ph. D, Entomologist, in _The Hive and the Honey Bee_, Edited by
Joe M. Graham, Dadant & Sons, the number of deaths per year from insects
stings of all types in the US is _41_.  Source quoted is Vital
Statistics of the United States (1986.)  The author estimates that of
the 41 deaths, 17 will result from honey bee stings.  If those numbers
held up worldwide, you are talking less than 1,000 deaths/year from all
stings.
That program would be off by at least an order of magnitude, probably
much more.  I know this data is for the USA alone, but I would bet my
estimate based on it is closer than some sensationalist newsie.
Mike