Abstract

Scorpions are dangerous for humans due to having deadly and toxic sting. Scorpion sting is a major public health challenge in many countries. The south and southwest of Iran with about 95 species of scorpions are the most heavily occupied regions in the country. Khuzestan Province is highlighted for its scorpions and scorpionism amongst the provinces of Iran. Khuzestan with 19 species of scorpions is one of the most important regions in terms of scorpionism problem in the southwestern Iran. Therefore, this study was conducted with the aim of survey epidemiology of scorpion sting in Masjed-Soleyman County from 2015 till 2017. This research is a descriptive - analytical study. All the scorpionism cases who were referred to the 22-Bahman Hospital of Masjed-Soleyman during the study period were included in this research. The required information was extracted from the patients' recorded data in the hospital. Information for each case were recorded in a special checklist and imported into the computer for statistical analysis. Epidemiologic and demographic data were analyzed using the software SPSS-20. Descriptive statistics, including frequency and percentage were used for data analysis. The Chi square test (X-2) and the T test were used to compare variables. P- values of 0.05 or less were considered statistically significant. Out of 11685 cases of scorpionism, 5894 cases were women (50.5 ) and 5791 cases were men (49.5). Most cases (25 and 24.3) were in the age groups between 10- 24 and 25-34 years old, respectively (P<0.01). Scorpion sting cases took place throughout the year, however the highest frequency happened in May (1637, 14) (P<0.05). Moreover, results showed that the highest rate of scorpion stings cases occurred in summer (36.5) followed by spring (35.4) (P<0.05). The place of residence was rural district in 3551 (30.3) patients and the urban in 8134 (69.7) (P<0.05). Among 11685 cases of scorpion sting, 4538 (38.8) were found on hand, and 3956 (33.8) on leg. About 31.3 of scorpion cases did not receive any the antiscorpion venom vaccine. The rest of the stung patients received the antiscorpion venom vaccine within 6 hours after the sting. No cases were exposed to multiple stings. Nocturnal and diurnal stings accounted for 78.2 and 21.8 of stings, respectively (P<0.05). All scorpion sting cases have gotten better throughout the study and one death (a five- year- old girl, stinged by Androctonus cradssicauda from the leg in 2015) have been reported. Scorpionism information are able to guide responsible persons to reduce the cases of scorpion sting. Considering that the highest percentage of scorpion stings have been reported in urban regions accordingly, training prevention methods of scorpion sting to urban people and also development and improving human dwellings can greatly reduce the scorpion sting.