Scorpion Sting Season Is Here

[ScorpionKing]

Hi folks, scorpion sting season started about a month ago. We had a few stings in the Lowveld and Western Cape. The recent rain, the occurrence of stings will increase.

I’ll post some good solid advice which will not only be of interest, but also of value should anyone be stung. Feel free to post any questions and home remedy’s ;-)

I have lots of online book related content. I’ll post links where appropriate.

Jonathan

[Emmie L]

Looking forward to learning more.

[ScorpionKing]

And... if anyone wants to ask a question in private, please feel free to email me on [email protected]

[Paul#25]

Thanks for your valuable ongoing posts about the creepy crawlies.
There's lots of things to learn from them.

[ScorpionKing]

Hi Folks

Today (11:50am) I had a call from the National Poison Information Helpline in Cape Town to identify a scorpion. An infant was crying and the mother found scorpion in the bed with the infant. The infant is being taken to a suitable hospital for observation. The mother took a photo of the scorpion (what was left of it) and sent to the National Poison Information helpline. It’s a 7cm Parabuthus capensis.

I’ll find out later today what the outcome is.

This quick response from the mother and a phone call has ensured the best possible outcome for the patient. It’s a happy ending to a situation which could have been tragic.

This is a good case of how to respond in the right way. It’s a good stepping point into scorpion sting first response the can offer us all some good lessons.

I’ll break this up into message rather than dumping my thoughts into a single post.

The basis of first response is not fancy bandages, devices or medical supplies… but rather knowing where to get help. The phone number of the National Poison Information Helpline is THE BEST point of contact. I know there are individuals who we trust and may phone, but they it is best to cut out the middle man and go straight to the a source that can handle the situation.

This number should be a part of any emergency response plan (however, cons it may be). This plan could just be putting the right phone number of your cellphone, or can be more elaborate depending on your circumstances and location.

Refrain from asking for advice on social media because the people who know the least often have the most to say. (todays expert is someone who shouts loudest on social media). Be careful about phoning your friend because he keeps a pet snake (leave that to Who Wants To Be A Millionaire).

We have 3 points of contact for medical advice on bites and stings in Southern Africa. These contacts are well known in medical industry and are often used when a patient is admitted to a hospital where they do not have the capacity to treat a bite or sting.

The red flags in the incident this morning is that:

• The patient is an infant (body size and other factors put them at greater risk)
• The scorpion was a large 7cm Parabuthus capensis (Antivenom is sometimes used to treat their sting)

As i mentioned… phoning the national Poison Information Helpline was the best course of action in this case. Just because the mother understood what to do and had the right phone number has made all the difference.

I have a page that includes emergency response plan instructions (and a basic template), and where to get help if you need it - https://scorpions.co.za/scorpion-sti...-ask-for-help/

Keep this image on your Cellphone Favourites




Kind regards

Jonathan
[email protected]

[DavidT]

This threat is very real, found this guy in our bedding camping near Nylstroom two weekends ago.

[ScorpionKing]

This threat is very real, found this guy in our bedding camping near Nylstroom two weekends ago.

That scorpion is Uroplectes vittatus. Most areas in Southern Africa are inhabited by 4 or more species of scorpion. When we look at the scorpion sting statistics (what we have anyway...) we can see that 1 or 2 species of scorpion are responsible for 90% of stings in a given area. Uroplectes vittatus is one of those usual suspects.

This species has a tendency to come onto contact with people/ animals due to their natural history. They are very mobile in the environment and do not make permanent shelters.

Luckily, it is small in size which excludes it combing considered a high risk species. More about that ion another post.

Jonathan

[Karol]

Hi Folks

Today (11:50am) I had a call from the National Poison Information Helpline in Cape Town to identify a scorpion. An infant was crying and the mother found scorpion in the bed with the infant. The infant is being taken to a suitable hospital for observation. The mother took a photo of the scorpion (what was left of it) and sent to the National Poison Information helpline. It’s a 7cm Parabuthus capensis.

I’ll find out later today what the outcome is.

This quick response from the mother and a phone call has ensured the best possible outcome for the patient. It’s a happy ending to a situation which could have been tragic.

This is a good case of how to respond in the right way. It’s a good stepping point into scorpion sting first response the can offer us all some good lessons.

I’ll break this up into message rather than dumping my thoughts into a single post.

The basis of first response is not fancy bandages, devices or medical supplies… but rather knowing where to get help. The phone number of the National Poison Information Helpline is THE BEST point of contact. I know there are individuals who we trust and may phone, but they it is best to cut out the middle man and go straight to the a source that can handle the situation.

This number should be a part of any emergency response plan (however, cons it may be). This plan could just be putting the right phone number of your cellphone, or can be more elaborate depending on your circumstances and location.

Refrain from asking for advice on social media because the people who know the least often have the most to say. (todays expert is someone who shouts loudest on social media). Be careful about phoning your friend because he keeps a pet snake (leave that to Who Wants To Be A Millionaire).

We have 3 points of contact for medical advice on bites and stings in Southern Africa. These contacts are well known in medical industry and are often used when a patient is admitted to a hospital where they do not have the capacity to treat a bite or sting.

The red flags in the incident this morning is that:

• The patient is an infant (body size and other factors put them at greater risk)
• The scorpion was a large 7cm Parabuthus capensis (Antivenom is sometimes used to treat their sting)

As i mentioned… phoning the national Poison Information Helpline was the best course of action in this case. Just because the mother understood what to do and had the right phone number has made all the difference.

I have a page that includes emergency response plan instructions (and a basic template), and where to get help if you need it - https://scorpions.co.za/scorpion-sti...-ask-for-help/

Keep this image on your Cellphone Favourites




Kind regards

Jonathan
[email protected]

Thanks for the info, very important. We get these critters in our firewood often

Just on a correction note, the phone number in your graphic for Eswatini does not seem correct. Either for land line or cell.

However Thea's cell number does appear in the contact page of the website and is correct.

[ScorpionKing]

Thanks for the info, very important. We get these critters in our firewood often

Just on a correction note, the phone number in your graphic for Eswatini does not seem correct. Either for land line or cell.

However Thea's cell number does appear in the contact page of the website and is correct.

Thanks! I wasn't sure about the offending 0 :-)

[Karol]

Thanks! I wasn't sure about the offending 0 :-)

No zero if dialing from outside or international its +268 for Eswatini followed by the number.

ie +268 7602 4455

[ScorpionKing]

No zero if dialing from outside or international its +268 for Eswatini followed by the number.

ie +268 7602 4455

Thank you!

[ScorpionKing]

Let's start out exploration of scorpion stings with a bit of terminology and baseline understanding. Once we get this right, everything else makes a lot more sense. We really need to upgrade our understanding of bites and stings if we want to get to grips with this subject.

I'm not a fan of using words like 'dangerous', 'deadly' or 'potentially deadly' These terms do not add value to our understanding of first response (for any bite or sting), they inject emotion into the conversation, which just makes us believe in misinformation, old wives tales and ineffective or harmful treatments. They also give the impression that if an animal is dangerous, then we must kill it before it gets us. It also sets us up to perceive these creatures from a position of ignorance rather than understanding, and contradicts how nature actually operates

The outcome of a bite or sting is far more than just the animal (we will get to that later). There are many factors both within our control and outside of our control which influence the outcome. Scorpions are not dangerous, however how we interact with the animal can both increase the chances of being stung, and also reduce the chance of being sting. Same applies to snakes.

There is a better way to to understanding symptoms. For the new book, I developed the following classifications that I use when discussing symptoms.

Class 1 - No medical intervention required.
Class 2 - Self medication required (first aid).
Class 3 - Professional medication required.
Class 4 - Loss of life.

These classes are linked to symptoms such as... Symptoms restricted to the sting site are considered Class 1 or 2. Any systemic symptoms (symptoms not restricted to the sting site) are considered Class 3 symptoms. Respiratory failure and paralysis (both are related) are considered Class 4 symptoms. These classes define boundaries and required actions. They can be applied to any bite of sting.

I've also introduced what I call, Red Flags. These are combinations of factors that historically result in class 3 or 4 symptoms. Red flags are super useful for proactively responding to a scorpion sting event before symptoms develop. They also fill in the unknowns which is very important when dealing with children and animals (who cannot articulate what happened or the symptoms they are experiencing). Another example is... any sting involving Parabuthus granulatus irrespective of if there are only localised symptoms.

I also talk about a scorpion sting event. This encompasses all of the factors to do with a scorpion sting including scorpion, situation, patient and response related factors.

If anyone has been stung by a scorpion, then post your experiences and we can delve a bit further.

Hope this makes sense.

[Andrew Leigh]

And they are breeding at a rate of Knots. Parabuthus Transvaalicus with kids.

[Andrew Leigh]

Jonathan,

I have your book and have used it for identification purposes. Many times I am unsure, and cannot 100% nail the ID. Is there dimorphism in scorpions?

[iandvl]

I was stung by a scorpion in the Richtersveld in November 2020. Was setting up camp whilst wearing sandals - my choice in footwear was probably not the most brilliant, but it was hot. Burning sensation on the top / side of my foot and saw the creature when I looked down. But I have no idea what type of scorpion it was as between the pain and the fright I a sort of mashed it with my sandal immediately. Also not probably the best thing to do, but in cases like this one does not always think clearly...

Immediately took antihistamines and dosed the sting area with anthisan (not totally sure of the spelling). All symptoms were local to the sting. ie: a bit of swelling which did not last long. Lots of pain for the first hour or so and then an incredibly itchy, burning pain that came and went every few hours over a period of about two or three days. I realised I would probably live, so did not seek medical attention.

I am curious though. I posted a thread about this the other day.

For example:

I have been stung by bees many times in my life but have never been allergic to them. And then a year ago I spent three days in hospital following a bee sting. This was the first bee sting post scorpion incident. Latter tests indicate I am now very allergic to them.

The only correlation I can sort of make is that perhaps the scorpion incident could have attributed to this ? ie: that my immune system now produces some other sort of antibodies to venom - including bees ? Is this possible ?

Or could it just be that the bee that stung me had made some sort of weird cocktail between the plants it was pollinating ?

But that is going off topic now.

[ScorpionKing]

And they are breeding at a rate of Knots. Parabuthus Transvaalicus with kids.

Awesome photo! Parabuthus tend to have a lot of young compared to other species. If all of these young scorpions survived, the world would be overrun with scorpions. Most species give birth annually, with mortality rates close to 99% (I don't have a reference for this figure... it s a thumb suck).

Some species only have a few young... 8 to 12 on in good year. P. transvaalicus sometimes more than 50 :-O

Jonathan

[PJ SA]

Great info, done a few courses with Jonathan before in Hluhluwe and can highly recommend if you get the opportunity.

[ScorpionKing]

I was stung by a scorpion in the Richtersveld in November 2020. Was setting up camp whilst wearing sandals - my choice in footwear was probably not the most brilliant, but it was hot. Burning sensation on the top / side of my foot and saw the creature when I looked down. But I have no idea what type of scorpion it was as between the pain and the fright I a sort of mashed it with my sandal immediately. Also not probably the best thing to do, but in cases like this one does not always think clearly...

Immediately took antihistamines and dosed the sting area with anthisan (not totally sure of the spelling). All symptoms were local to the sting. ie: a bit of swelling which did not last long. Lots of pain for the first hour or so and then an incredibly itchy, burning pain that came and went every few hours over a period of about two or three days. I realised I would probably live, so did not seek medical attention.

There are some pretty venomous scorpions running around the Richtersveld. That big black hairy scorpion that is sometimes seen active in the mornings or late afternoon, has caused a few deaths. There is also a very common species near the river. The area is a fantastic place for scorpions with more than a few rare species running around.

Anyway... Most people are sting on the foot of hand. Standing on a scorpion prompts a defensive response. Beating the scorpion to death with the nearest You magazine before taking a photo is generally not a good idea.

Wise advice: If the immediate pain is too much for the patient to handle, then go to the nearest medical professional The Richtersveld is pretty far from anywhere, however... in areas like that, the local doctor is more than likely to be familiar with scorpion stings and can assist. Antihistamines are useful for allergic reactions. In the case of a scorpion sting, they are no benefit and at the same time, they do no harm.

I have been stung by bees many times in my life but have never been allergic to them. And then a year ago I spent three days in hospital following a bee sting. This was the first bee sting post scorpion incident. Latter tests indicate I am now very allergic to them.

The only correlation I can sort of make is that perhaps the scorpion incident could have attributed to this ? ie: that my immune system now produces some other sort of antibodies to venom - including bees ? Is this possible ?

Or could it just be that the bee that stung me had made some sort of weird cocktail between the plants it was pollinating ?

I read (somewhere) that most people who die from anaphylaxis from a bee sting have no prior history of being allergic. In a clinical setting, anaphylaxis has never been recorded to be associated with scorpion stings (same for spider bites). Anaphylaxis is not rare with the snake guys because of long exposure to venom from spitting snakes (they may have kept snakes for years and are exposed venom in the air over long periods of time). I don't know if there is any consensus as to why people suddenly become highly allergic to bee venom.

Jonathan

[ScorpionKing]

Great info, done a few courses with Jonathan before in Hluhluwe and can highly recommend if you get the opportunity.

Thanks for the nice words. Catch me if you can!

• I'm speaking at Random Harvest Nursary (Gauteng) next week (2nd October 10am to 12am). This is a free event. https://scorpions.co.za/random-harvest/
• I have a poster at the Oppenheimer Conference 6th to 9th October in Midrand. Pop in for coffee and a chat https://scorpions.co.za/oppenheimer-...nference-2024/
• I have my annual Venom Day at Kloofendal Nature reserve on the 13th October. Ask anything about bites and stings, antivenom, biotechnology, etc.. This is also a free event. https://www.quicket.co.za/events/253...athan-leeming/
• Links to other public events can be found at https://scorpions.co.za/events

Jonathan

[iandvl]

There are some pretty venomous scorpions running around the Richtersveld. That big black hairy scorpion that is sometimes seen active in the mornings or late afternoon, has caused a few deaths. There is also a very common species near the river. The area is a fantastic place for scorpions with more than a few rare species running around.

Anyway... Most people are sting on the foot of hand. Standing on a scorpion prompts a defensive response. Beating the scorpion to death with the nearest You magazine before taking a photo is generally not a good idea.

Thanks for the response.

As I said, my footwear was not a great idea - especially since the area would have a gazillion of the creatures. Neither was my decision to smite it, but it that was my first reaction...

Two photos of some of the critters I saw there.