Spatial Distribution of Scorpion Sting in a High-Risk Area of Southern Iran.
Scorpion sting is a public health problem in south and southwestern parts of Iran, with about 36,000 cases recorded annually. This study aimed to find the spatial distribution of scorpions and their stings in Bandar Abbas County. Monthly scorpion sting cases at the village level were obtained and used for mapping. Scorpions were collected from 14 collection sites using a UV lamp at night and searching under stones during the day time. During the study period, a total of 3,971 cases of scorpion sting were recorded, most of them were found in mountainous areas and affected individuals aged 25-44 yrs. In total, 18 scorpion species belonging to 10 genera were collected and identified. The peak of scorpion sting cases occurred from July to September. The northern part of the mountainous areas had a richer species composition. Hemiscorpius persicus and Hemiscorpius gaillardi were collected for the first time in the area. There were 22 scorpion species in the area across studies; among them, 10 were most dangerous. Hemiscorpius genus is the main etiologic agent in Bandar Abbas County. Mapping dangerous species allows the health system to provide relevant anti-scorpion venom serum accordingly and more cost-effectively.
Infectious & Tropical Diseases Research Center, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas 7919915519, Iran (mshahi1346@gmail.com).
Mehran
M
Shahi
Department of Internal Medicine, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas 7914631513, Iran (seyedhamidmoosavy@gmail.com).
Seyed Hamid
SH
Moosavy
Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 1417613151, Iran (aahanafibojd@tums.ac.ir; jrafinejad@sina.tums.ac.ir).
Ahamd Ali
AA
Hanafi-Bojd
Razi Reference Laboratory of Scorpion Research, Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute, Karaj 3197619751, Iran (Navid1038@hotmail.com).
Shahrokh
S
Navidpour
Department of Community Medicine, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas 7919631163, Iran (shzare@hums.ac.ir).
Shahram
S
Zare
Department of Epidemiology, Research Social Factors in Health Promotion, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas 7919916753, Iran (madaniabd@yahoo.com).
Abdolhossein
A
Madani
Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 1417613151, Iran (aahanafibojd@tums.ac.ir; jrafinejad@sina.tums.ac.ir).
Javad
J
Rafinejad

          Hemiscorpius
        ; GIS; Scorpion sting; Southern Iran; Spatial distribution