Scorpion stings in Morocco

Recently we published a story on snakebites in Morocco and had several emails asking about scorpions and whether they were a problem. The answer is a big YES.

According to figures from the Moroccan Centre national antipoison et de pharmacovigilance (CAPM) (poisons and drug monitoring center) scorpion stings kill about 100 under 15s every year, in a total of some 30,000 cases of scorpion poisoning documented yearly in Morocco. There is a particular danger between July and August each year. It should also be noted that over 60 percent of stings are at night.

To stem this scourge, a nationwide campaign themed "Together Save our Children from Death from Scorpion Stings," was launched on Friday in the city of Essaouira. It is aiming at reducing the mortality rateby 30%.

Initiated by the CAPM, the campaign will be carried out under the aegis of the Health Ministry, in collaboration with the Province of Essaouira, the Mohammed VI Foundation for Research and the Protection of Argan Trees, and NGOs. Essaouira is the area that produces 4.6% of all scorpion-related incidents reported in Morocco. Scorpions claimed the lives of 528 people between 2001 and 2006.

Speaking on the occasion, king’s advisor and chairman of the Foundation, André Azoulay, stressed the need to fight scorpion stings in the city.

According to figures of the CAPM, 91 people died in 2006 of scorpion stings, compared to 98 in 2005 and 93 in 2004. Scorpion stings are the primary cause of 50 to 60 % of documented poisoning cases in Morocco.

Morocco has more than 30 kinds of yellow and black scorpions. The latter remain the most dangerous, according to CAPM. There is an interesting abstract here: scorpions.

Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news