Scorpion stings in one province of Morocco: epidemiological, clinical and prognosis aspects

• Published in: The journal of venomous animals and toxins including tropical diseases 2007, Vol.13 (2), p.462-471
• Main Authors: Soulaymani Bencheikh, R.(Rabat Institute Poison Control and Pharmacovigilance Center of Morocco), Idrissi, M.(Rabat Institute Poison Control and Pharmacovigilance Center of Morocco), Tamim, O.(Ibn Tofail University Kénitra Faculty of Sciences Laboratory of Genetics and Biometrics), Semlali, I.(Rabat Institute Poison Control and Pharmacovigilance Center of Morocco), Mokhtari, A.(Ibn Tofail University Kénitra Faculty of Sciences Laboratory of Genetics and Biometrics), Tayebi, M.(Ibn Tofail University Kénitra Faculty of Sciences Laboratory of Genetics and Biometrics), Soulaymani, A.(Ibn Tofail University Kénitra Faculty of Sciences Laboratory of Genetics and Biometrics)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: epidemiology; Morocco; scorpions; strategy; TOXICOLOGY; TROPICAL MEDICINE
• ISSN: 1678-9199; 1678-9199
• DOI: 10.1590/S1678-91992007000200005

The present study aimed at verifying the impact of a Moroccan strategy against scorpion stings and, specifically, at identifying the epidemiological features of the patients envenomed or just stung by scorpions. The investigation included 4089 patients from a province of Morocco which were evaluated over three years (2001, 2002 and 2003). Most stings occurred during the hot period and mainly at night (between 6:00 p.m. and 12:00 p.m.). The average incidence was 2.8‰, the average age of the patients was 26.7±18.2 years, and the envenomation rate was 6.7%. Mortality rate was 0.05‰, and average lethality rate was 0.7%. Analysis of variance showed that young age, symptoms at admission, and long time elapsed between sting and admission were correlated with poor outcome. Comparison among data of the three years revealed an increasing number of reported cases and decreasing morbidity and mortality.