Scorpion stings

[jackal]

Has anyone ever suffered one of these or known anyone who has? I've heard that they're painful but never actually met anyone who's suffered one. I know there's another thread on here about them, but I can't find it.

[irac2]

Jackal, my colleague and team mate got stung on the hand one day before training. He was leaning back on the grass, put his hand down and yelped. He trained as normal but after his hand was swollen and red. We took him to the hospital and they gave him some anti-histamine, I think, and he's still alive. Near our training ground we've seen some scorpions but they're tiny.

[Jackal unleashed]

Many thanks for your reply, they do not seem to be a really big problem. Just wondering if a wasp sting would be worse as some of them seem very BIG! My mother in law is always getting bitten by them ( ;D) and then she panics and that makes it worse.

[Ghost]

www.ub.ntnu.no/scorpion-files/european_scorp.php




A REVIEW OF THE SCORPION FAUNA OF EUROPE.

Jan Ove Rein
Medical Library & Information Center
Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Europe hosts a surprisingly high diversity of scorpions. At the moment, 23 valid species are reported from Europe (the species known from the Asian part of Turkey are excluded). Scorpions are reported from France, Monaco, Spain, Portugal, Italy, San Marino, Malta, Switzerland, Austria, Cyprus, Greece, Turkey, Russia (North Caucasus), Ukraine (Crimea only), and the Balkan countries. In addition, an introduced colony of scorpions in southern England has been known since the 18th. century. Scorpion findings have also been reported from Germany, Holland, Norway, Denmark and Sweden, but no data indicate that these countries host permanent populations (as England does). These scorpions have probably been accidental stowaways.

Buthidae

This family has three representatives in Europe, which do not overlap in distribution. They are usually found in hot and dry wasteland with sparse vegetation, where they hide in natural burrows under stones etc. during daytime. As in other buthids, the venom is quite strong and sting is very painful. I have not been able to find any reports of deaths or serious cases attributed to European scorpions in the literature, but see the comments in connection with Iurus dufoureius and Calchas nordmanni. ;DThe European species seem not to pose any great threat to healthy humans.

[irac]

Jackal, I'd only ever seen on, in the wild, in Morocco and it was a big thing, whereas this little one we saw, my one and only here, was more like an anorexic spider. I don't think they prove much of a threat, but i do know Dan was a little sore after!