When the hot summer months start to arrive in Arizona so do all the creepy crawlies that you want to avoid at all cost, namely scorpions. With more scorpions out and about the number of scorpion stings increase during the summer. We know what they look like and that it is important to watch out for scorpions, but most people would not know how to recognize the symptoms of a scorpion sting in a young child. One little Arizona boy suffered from an attack from one and his parents were shocked and rather confused by his extreme symptoms. They would never have known it was caused by a scorpion sting had they not caught him with the creature still crawling on him.
10 month old Jericho Lewis began exhibiting strange symptoms after being stung by a bark scorpion, one of the most common scorpions in Arizona as well as the most venomous. His grandmother recorded the child on her cell phone, and the family shared it on the Internet to show his reaction and hopefully raise awareness of just what it might look like if your own child were to be stung and have a similar severe reaction. Without knowing he was stung by a scorpion, his reaction could easily be mistaken for a child having a temper tantrum. In fact, the boy was suffering from a severe reaction to the sting. His mother, Kelsie Lewis described his symptoms, citing his red face, trouble breathing, vomiting, and darting eyes and tongue. What might not cause much harm in an adult can easily be deadly for a small child.
Where parents might get confused is that, while Jericho was stung twice, the stings were not very red or swollen, and might have not even been noticed if he hadn’t been found with a scorpion still crawling on him. His family quickly took him to the hospital, and Jericho had to be treated with two vials of antivenom in order to get rid of his symptoms. Thankfully, after just a few days the little boy was up, happy and as talkative as if the harrowing event had never taken place.
Has your child or another child you know ever been stung by a scorpion? What was their reaction?
