Scorpion sting in the right ear of a young adult: a case report

Abstract

Scorpion is creepy, venomous and dangerous living creatures that rely on vibrations from their surroundings to help them determine what is taking place in their environment and use the sense of smell to find food and to hide from danger. They are mostly active during the summer months and most species are nocturnal. Because of the nocturnal nature of this creature either in search for food or hide out, humans are at risk of its sting. We present a case of 36 year old artisan with history of feeling of insect in his right ear of 30 minutes duration. He slept outside at the balcony of his house because of heat and at around 1.00 am, he suddenly woke up by the feeling of insect and stings in his right ear. He had made attempts to remove the insect with the cotton bud but all proved abortive. Two drops of 2% plain xylocaine and 5 drops of cerumol were applied on the affected ear. He was managed with analgesics, anxiolytic, antihistamine and ear syringing. The family physician; a frontline doctor and first point of contact for patient should be skillful in performing ear syringing and must be able to provide necessary counselling as regards outdoor sleeping at night.