A Hampshire, England woman returning from her vacation in Costa Rica got the shock of her life when she was stung by a scorpion which had traveled back in her suitcase all the way from the land of Pura Vida.
The Mirror reports the woman dialed 999 (England’s equivalent of 911) just after 11 am to report she had been stung by a scorpion, received treatment at home and was then taken to Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham, Hants, for further assessment.
A spokesman for the ambulance service said: “The advice we have accessed from Toxbase (National Poisons Information Service) is for anyone with a scorpion sting to be assessed and monitored at the hospital.”
Pictures from the fire service show the small eight-legged black and brown scorpion captured under a glass. Waterlooville Fire Station spokesman Marley Cameron said: “Our co-responder has just assisted with an incident which was a bit different than we normally attend. “A female was bitten by a scorpion which had decided to hide in her suitcase on return from her holiday.”
“I think that’s the ‘most unusual call out of the year’ in the bag for 2018,” said a South Central Ambulance Service spokesperson.
The scorpion had hidden in her suitcase all the way from Costa Rica, more than 8,000 kilometers (5,000 miles) away.
All scorpions have a venomous sting, but the vast majority of the species do not represent a serious threat to humans. Only about 25 species are known to have venom capable of killing a human.
In Costa Rica, there are 14 different species of scorpion, all of which are not deadly to humans.
