MDA warns of stings as scorpion season begins

Israel has 21 species of scorpions, five of which are considered dangerous.

By MIRIAM BULWAR DAVID-HAY (TRANSLATED)
Residents of the north are being warned to be careful after two kindergarten children were stung by black scorpions in the same neighborhood of Kiryat Ata on two different days last week, reports www.local.co.il. With the warming up of the weather in recent weeks, scorpions have begun appearing, and the Magen David Adom ambulance service has issued warnings for how to prevent and treat stings. According to the report, the two children - a girl aged five and a boy aged four - were each stung in the early afternoon on different days near the local kindergarten both attend. Each was taken by ambulance to hospital, treated for minor injuries, and later released. The report said that Israel has 21 species of scorpions, five of which are considered dangerous, with the most dangerous being the golden scorpion. Scorpions inhabit open areas and become active at night, hiding under rocks, in sand dunes, in tunnels and in cracks. The MDA recommends that people visiting natural areas should wear high, closed shoes, should avoid sticking their hands into places they cannot see, and, if planning to sleep in the open, should remove all rocks that can provide hiding places for scorpions, snakes and insects. Scorpion venom attacks the nervous system and causes symptoms such as severe local pain, swelling and redness, a fast heart beat, excessive sweating and vomiting. The MDA said if someone is stung by a scorpion, an ambulance should be called and the affected limb should be kept still and cooled until paramedics arrive.