Scorpion alert! SA scorpions can be lethal. Here's what to do if you get stung.


There’s something about that viciously efficient combination of grasping pincers and curved sting that sparks terror in the human brain. But as long as you apply a smidgen of common sense, the chances of getting fatally stung by a scorpion in Southern Africa are in fact very low.

South Africa has quite a few scorpion species, but luckily for those of us who like the bundu and can’t resist turning over rocks, not many of our scorpions are highly venomous, and the risk of a fatal sting is slim. In the great majority of cases, stings cause pain that lasts no more than a few hours, with no further symptoms. The annual death rate from stings is only about one to four.

The sting’s the thing

Scorpions with broad pincers often look fearsome, but the pincers are just for grabbing; the sting’s in the tail. There’s a general rule of thumb to distinguish highly venomous scorpions from the mildly venomous (i.e. harmless to humans):

* Highly venomous: thick tails, thin pincers
* Mildly venomous: thin tails, thick pincers

This rule applies to scorpions throughout the world.

In South Africa, it’s almost always scorpions belonging to the genus Parabuthus that cause fatalities. These scorpions typically inhabit dry areas, and like digging burrows in sandy soil, sometimes under rocks or at the base of vegetation.

How to avoid being stung

First, do a bit of research on the area you’re going to, and find out if scorpions are endemic there. If they are, it’s even more important than usual to follow these precautions:

* Wear shoes, particularly covered shoes and particularly at night. Most stings happen at night, to people going unshod.
* Take care when lifting up rocks and fallen branches. It’s a good idea to wear sturdy gloves when doing camping chores like building a fire, moving rocks to put up a tent etc.
* Scorpions and other fearsome beasts are a good motivation to set up and pack up camp while there’s daylight.
* Shake out bedding before you get into it and when packing up. Do the same with clothes and shoes before dressing.
* Don’t sleep directly on the ground – use a groundsheet at least. Your sleepingbag and tent also afford protection, but keep them zipped up.
* Avoid sleeping right next to where scorpions may be hanging out, like at the base of thick vegetation.

Keep in mind that most stings occur in the period from October to March, with January-February, i.e. summer, as the peak.

What happens if you get stung

If a scorpion stings you, you’ll usually know about it. Even if you don’t actually see the culprit, you’ll feel the result: a sudden, often burning pain at the sting site. The pain may persist from a few minutes to a few hours, and there may be redness and swelling at the sting site. Less than 5% of stings result in symptoms requiring medical attention. Such symptoms, which suggest a serious sting, generally only start to occur after about half an hour, and sometimes only after several hours. These may include any of the following:

* Abdominal cramps
* A burning sensation, or pins-and-needles, usually of the hands, feet, face and scalp.
* Hypersensitivity to tactile stimuli e.g. your clothing or bedding become irritating to your skin. Sometimes you also become extremely sensitive to noise.
* Lack of co-ordination with stiff-legged or ‘drunken’ walking.
* Involuntary movements, tremors, muscle weakness
* High or low pulse rate
* Difficulty swallowing and excessive salivation i.e. drooling
* Difficulty speaking normally
* Excessive sweating
* Headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
* Droopy eyelids
* Restlessness and anxiety
* Urine retention
* Difficulty breathing.

The severity of the sting will depend on several different factors: the species of scorpion, its size and level of agitation, and where it stings you. A bigger scorpion packs a bigger venom punch, as does a deeper sting.

Your health and age are also significant; stings are more dangerous for children and the elderly, and someone with cardiac or respiratory problems is at higher risk of a serious reaction.

What do to if you get stung

This is one time when you’ll be forgiven for killing wildlife*: it’s useful to keep the scorpion for identification purposes. But only try to bag the specimen if you can do so without risking another sting! Unless you’re an expert (i.e. you’ve done it many times before) don’t attempt taking the prisoner alive.

Clean the wound and apply a clean cloth, wrapped in ice or moistened with cold water, to the sting site. Take an over-the-counter painkiller like aspirin or paracetamol. If possible, get to the nearest hospital or doctor. Take note of any changes or additional symptoms that may occur.

No-one, except a medical professional trained to treat scorpion stings, should attempt to use any additional methods of treatment. Using the wrong kind or amount of anti-venom or other medications can be very dangerous.

It’s also important to reassure the scorpion’s victim that death from a sting is most unlikely. Sometimes people get into such a panic that they can even start to show false symptoms!

*You’re only forgiven if it’s actually stung someone; otherwise you get an indelible black mark on your Green record.

(-Olivia Rose-Innes, EnviroHealth Expert, Health24, updated July 2010)

References

Leeming, J. 2003. Scorpions of South Africa. Struik Publishers, Cape Town.
Shire, L., Muller, G.J. and Pantanowitz, L. 1996. The diagnosis and treatment of envenomation in South Africa. Journal of the South Africa Institute for Medical Research.

scorpions are the reason I shake my boot out every morning before putting it on. I was raise in the high California desert when I was a kid and it did not take long to learn to check your boots

I got tagged by a scorpion in April on an elephant hunt in Plum Tree, Zimbabwe. I reached into my pack and the little bugger was in there and hit me three times on the fingers. It felt like a red hot needle was stuck in my finger. This was early in the morning so we returned to camp and I held a chunk of ice in my hand for a couple hours. By noon the pain was tolerable and we went hunting. My PH radioed and a chopper was available if needed. A lady was tagged a few weeks earlier in the same area and wound up on a ventilator in the hospital for a couple days. Allergic reaction is apparently the greatest risk. I had extreme sensitivity in my finger tip for about a week but no other problems.
There was not enough scorpion left to identify when I finished stomping him. Get a pack with zippers rather than velcro tabs if you're around scorpions. We killed three others in the camp that week.

quote:

Originally posted by Alan Bunn:

This is one time when you’ll be forgiven for killing wildlife*:

C
*You’re only forgiven if it’s actually stung someone; otherwise you get an indelible black mark on your Green record.

I'd hate to see my green record going of their assumptions .

quote:

The annual death rate from stings is only about one to four.

Do you really mean "death rate", ie. 25%, or do you just mean that 1-4 people die each year? I assume the latter. From what you are saying, there is nothing much you can do to control the venom etc. just apply ice and hope for the best?
Peter.

@ Peter,

I am not sure what the woman who wrote the article meant about the death rate, but like you I think the one to four people a year is correct, or there would be a lot more hysteria about scorpion stings.

As for the best therapy to use, if it were me, I would put a wad of wet tobacco on it just like my old man used to do to me when I got into a nest of wasps. Which was pretty often, if I recall.


@ ozhunter

Yeah, I left that stupid PETA remark in there because I knew it would generate some amusing and scathing comments. However, you left out the best part:

But only try to bag the specimen if you can do so without risking another sting! Unless you’re an expert (i.e. you’ve done it many times before) don’t attempt taking the prisoner alive.

If a scorpion stings me, the luckiest angel in heaven ain't gonna be able to save it.

quote:

I would put a wad of wet tobacco on it just like my old man used to do to me when I got into a nest of wasps.

I will NOT waste a good cigar on a scorpion sting!
Peter.

What a surprise!

Yesterday we saw a program on Ntional Geographic about scorpion, and they did sat they were quite lethal.

I never thought as much.

I thought they are painful, but hardly lethal.

I have been stung a while back, it burns like hell, but appart from that there was no bad effect at all.

I suppose like all poison, if you are allergic, then you are in deep trouble.

@ Peter: We always used tobacco from a Camel cigarette, the old man wouldn't waste a cigar.

@ Saeed: I have a friend who is so allergic to bee and wasp stings that she carries an 'epi pen' everywhere she goes to give herself an injection of Epinephrine if she gets stung. Her allergy is very severe and she had a life threatening experience once that made a believer out of her.

quote:

I have been stung a while back, it burns like hell, but appart from that there was no bad effect at all.

My experience also. Years ago I was (stupidly) walking around at night barefoot and stepped on one. I would have sworn that I had stepped on a hot coal! I think the home remedy that we used on my sting was Clorox (liquid chlorine bleach.) From my experience, there's no better disinfectant and it helps stings of practically any kind. After a couple of hours my foot was as good as new.

Just like someone mentioned, a number of people can have deadly anaphylactic reactions to certain insect stings like bees and even more or less painless bites from normally harmless spiders. Makes me wonder if this isn't what's happening, rather than a reaction to the venom itself.