‘Scorpion storms’ in Egypt have hospitalised over 500 people

We don’t talk about scorpions here much on this website. Yeah, nah, of all the potentially dangerous little – and large – creatures that we focus on here, we just seem to overlook the buggers. Today, though, that’s gonna change, and that’s because stories coming out of Egypt have reported that bloody hundreds of the venomous arachnid b**tards have invaded homes and workplaces after storms in Egypt have driven them from their hidey-holes.

All right, to get you started, there’s one thing you need to know about the storms in Egypt right now: they’re f**ken hectic. Fair dinkum, we’re talking torrential rain, hail, thunder, lightning, and other very, very frightening things that happen when it rains.

This sounds like the plot of a Guy N Smith 1970s NewEnglish Library horror pulp https://t.co/4NvaBKV5tA

— Andrew Nette (@Pulpcurry) November 16, 2021

In a country where that s**t rarely happens, there are consequences. In Egypt, that means the fat-tailed scorpions go looking for dry places to hide. In most cases, that means homes and workplaces, and in turn, that means humans and scorpions come into painful, painful contact.

#AMAY| Bad weather hits Aswan, destroying homes and causing scorpions to sting over 500 peoplehttps://t.co/b3YWCJO9U4 pic.twitter.com/04EhT88pfP

— Egypt Independent (@EgyIndependent) November 14, 2021

Egyptian fat-tailed scorpions are capable of delivering a sting that can take you to Destination F**ked within an hour. Symptoms of their painful bite include difficulty breathing, muscle tremors, diarrhoea, severe pain, vomiting, fevers, and unusual head movements. Fortunately, anti-venom is effective and can be administered even once the symptoms have begun.

Deathstalkers – yellowish, four-inch scorpions with as many as six pairs of eyes and a tail full of venom — stung more than 500 Egyptians in one night as severe storms and floods hit the city of Aswan. https://t.co/y0j3stLpvm

— The New York Times (@nytimes) November 16, 2021

On that note, it’s important to know that although some reports claim three have died from scorpion stings, authorities claim that’s incorrect. Yeah, nah, they’ve treated all the stings. The three soldiers who were electrocuted in flooded water, though…they weren’t so lucky, and that sucks for their families.

More than 500 hospitalized from scorpion stings after storm in Egypt. https://t.co/GUUo1tcbFs

— NBC News (@NBCNews) November 16, 2021

Still, the five-hundred people who copped a healthy whack from the little buggers were a bit of an influx on hospital resources, forcing authorities to withdraw doctors from annual leave and put hospitals on high alert. At the same time, they had to fast-track deliveries of the anti-venom, which is readily available, to centres across regional areas of the county.

#Egypt : Health official in Aswan has told BBC that the heavy thunder & hail storm there washed scorpions into the streets & people’s homes – causing 400 people to be stung – in the rains scorpions seek refuge anywhere they can… #أسوان #مِصر
pic.twitter.com/zGbWzTNMQn

— sebastian usher (@sebusher) November 13, 2021

Fat-tailed scorpions are considered among the most dangerous in the world. They kill several humans every year, so thank f**k there was plenty of anti-venom in stock.

Final thought: Yeah, nah, while we’re sitting in the comfort of our homes, it’s sometimes easy to forget that s**t like this can happen anywhere. Deadset, while we’re hogging all the dry places, the venomous creepy crawlies are pretty keen to find a nice little crevice in times of flood and fire. So, yeah, watch out for that s**t.

Just in case you missed it, here’s one of Ozzy’s latest commentary videos…Ozzy Man Reviews: When Animals Fight Back #9

H/T: GUARDIAN.