az grown health RATTLESNAKES, SCORPIONS AND CACTI … OH, MY!
BOYLOSO
What to do if a child gets stung, bitten or impaled by thorns
YES, THE SONORAN DESERT is full of
plants and animals. If your child is bitten,
critters — many of whom are more active
stung or injured, here’s what parents need
during the summer months. It’s also filled
to know about getting treatment.
with sharp cactus spines and all manner
someone was stung. Arizona and Mexico are home to the infamous bark scorpion, which can make scorpion stings scarier. Their venom
of flora that isn’t soft and leafy. So, how
What types of Arizona wildlife cause the most
can cause neurologic changes; most
can Arizona parents keep kids safe from
concern for parents in the summer?
commonly this is the “pins and needles”
potential snake bites, scorpion stings and
Rattlesnakes, scorpions and gila monsters …
sensation at and around the sting, which
all kinds of unpleasant run-ins?
oh, my! Well, maybe not gila monsters, but
can last for several days to weeks. In
I couldn’t really choose between the other
children, and infrequently in adults, we
two, as I get so many questions about both.
can see the venom cause other changes:
Jon McGreevy, MD, associate program director for the pediatric residency program at Phoenix Children’s
irritability, twitching muscles in the arms
Hospital, specializes in pediatric
What should a parent do when a child is
and legs, roving eye movements, drooling,
emergency medicine, and has treated
stung by a scorpion? In what instance
or tongue muscles moving in a wave-like
all types of summer accidents. He says
should they seek medical attention? For all
fashion. [Stings in] smaller children, as
rattlesnake bites in kids are (thankfully)
scorpions, there is pain at the site where
well as stings that are closer to the head
very rare, and supervision is key to
you were stung. Know that commonly
and neck, are more likely to cause severe
keeping kids away from dangerous desert
there is no identifiable mark where
symptoms. Typically, symptoms escalate
6 June 2021 RaisingARIZONAKids.com
