Contact: media@bannerhealth.com

PHOENIX (June 8, 2018) – Hotter temperatures bring more than higher than utility bills to your home: they also bring scorpions.

Hot summer weather provides scorpions a good opportunity to come out at night and look for food, such as insects. The upcoming monsoon season, with its warmer temperatures and higher humidity, also is a great time for scorpions to forage for food.

“Scorpions have been around forever and when we are gone, there will still be scorpions,’’ says Frank LoVecchio, DO, assistant medical director of Banner Poison and Drug Information Center.

Calls about scorpion stings are the most common type of animal-related call that the center receives.

Last year, was a bumper-crop season for scorpions in the metro Phoenix area. In 2017, the Banner Poison and Drug Information Center received almost 7,500 scorpion-related phone calls. So far, this year, the center has received more than 2,300 calls.

If you get stung by a scorpion, expect there to be pain but no other medical complications, LoVecchio says. It is very rare for a scorpion sting to develop into a serious medical condition.

If anyone has any question, however, about their scorpion sting, they can call the Banner Poison and Drug Information Center’s at 1-800-222-1222 for a free consultation and prevention tips. People with out-of-state cell phones can call (602) 253-3334.

In his ready-to-edit video, LoVecchio also describes:

• Very rare side effects from scorpion stings

• What happens if a child under the age of one gets stung by a scorpion

• How your body reacts when stung

About Banner Poison and Drug Information Center

The Banner Poison and Drug Information Center is a phone call away, and can be reached at 1-800-222-1222. The center provides a free, 24-hour Emergency telephone service for both residents and medical professionals of Maricopa County. For more information, visit www.BannerHealth.com/poisoncenter.