Scorpion Envenomation in Naama, Algeria

In Algeria scorpion envenomation represents a real public health problem with a population at risk of scorpion stings estimated at 68% of the national population. A total of 903, 461 scorpion sting cases and 1996 deaths were recorded by health services between 1991 and 2012. The physical-geographic and climate conditions make the province of Naama a conducive environment for scorpion species and an endemic zone for scorpion envenomation. A total of 22, 498 scorpion stings and 66 deaths were recorded by the Department of Public Health of the province between 1999 and 2013. An early warning system is an essential tool for preparedness and effectiveness of scorpion stings control; it could help determine the appropriate number of antivenom vials necessary in health facilities and anticipate the demand for antivenoms and symptomatic drugs so that they can be distributed in advance. To this end, we performed a regression analysis to estimate the relationship between scorpion sting cases and climate conditions. The obtained results showed that the scorpion activity in Naama province is climate dependent phenomenon; the temperature and precipitation are the main factors; they were used to derive the best predictive model for scorpion sting cases. If we know beforehand the change on climate variables, we can use regression model to predict the number of scorpion sting cases using those climate variables.