Safer Tourism scorpion sting advice featured in Daily Express

Safer Tourism’s travel tips featured in the Daily Express following the cricket legend and Strictly star Darren Gough’s close encounter with a scorpion.

The cricketer described being stung by a scorpion while on holiday in South Africa but said he didn’t know whether the scorpion was harmless or posed a threat to life.

The Daily Express described the incident as “a major health scare” and said the England fast bowler had just 40 minutes to live.

The article featured Safer Tourism’s travel tips for treating scorpion stings on holiday.

What we say: Spiders & scorpions

A bite or sting from a spider or scorpion can be very painful, but it is not always poisonous. If you’re visiting a country where there are a lot of poisonous species, it’s worth finding out where these are most commonly found and avoid these place. For example, Australia’s funnel web and red-back spiders have a reputation for lurking under toilet seats, so it pays to check under these before taking a seat.

If you are bitten or stung by a spider or scorpion if at all possible, you should catch or kill it so that you can identify the offender.

Bites and stings can be painful. To help relieve the pain:

• Clean the wound with soap and water.
• Apply an antibiotic cream.
• Raise the area that’s been bitten to reduce swelling.
• Put an ice pack on the bite.
• Take a painkiller if necessary.
• Watch out for more serious symptoms.
• Seek medical attention immediately if you have any severe or worrying symptoms after a bite.

Jane Hewin