“Earthquake aftermath: Scorpion and snake bites on the rise in Turkish shelters”

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Although more than three months have passed since the devastating earthquake that struck southern Turkey on the sixth of last February, leaving thousands dead and injured, and resulting in massive damage to the infrastructure in 11 states, the repercussions of this natural disaster continue so far, as residents of shelter centers and those who They returned to their homes, which were not much damaged by the earthquake, from new problems.

In the last chapters of the challenges left by the devastating earthquake, whose strength on the Richter scale at that time exceeded 7 degrees, complaints of residents in the areas affected by the natural disaster increased from scorpion and snake bites, especially in those states that witnessed massive destruction, as is the case in Antakya and its suburbs and other regions and towns located Southern Turkey on the border with Syria.

A prominent Turkish official in the health sector stressed that “the appearance of scorpions, snakes and snakes is a problem in the shelters.”

“The appearance of these reptiles in shelter centers is not a big problem compared to other major problems such as respiratory infections and diarrhea,” Vedat Bulut, Secretary General of the “Turkish Doctors’ Union” told Al Arabiya.net.

He added, “Scabies is also one of the diseases that spread in some shelters, and it is a problem like other health problems that require urgent solutions.”

Scorpion (iStock – Emoji)

He added, “Turkish cities affected by the earthquake are rich in scorpions and poisonous snakes, but this is a minor problem compared to other challenges that residents of shelters face.”

Emergency medicine specialists, brought together by a local union known as TATD, announced after a meeting in Antalya, Turkey this week, that scorpion and snake bites in the quake-affected areas, which are considered disaster areas, are starting to raise more attention than before in terms of the number of complaints received about them.

The Emergency Medicine Syndicate, also called the Disaster Medicine Syndicate, linked the increasing complaints of scorpion and snake bites to the existence of large, destroyed areas that have become a safe environment for these reptiles, especially with the rise in temperatures and the advent of summer.

In addition to scorpion and snake bites, residents of shelters suffer from a lack of access to clean water. The lack of clean water in some affected areas has caused swelling in the eyes of some residents, according to the Emergency Medicine Syndicate, which also revealed that conditions are not suitable for housing in some shelters that require more health and nutritional support.

The union had revealed, at the end of its meeting held in Antalya, that its team faced many cases of carbon monoxide poisoning in the first period following the earthquake, but with the advent of summer and high temperatures, the teams began to face the problem of scorpion and snake bites.

The union also called on the health authorities in the country to find an urgent solution to this problem and take immediate measures to address it as soon as possible.

The earthquake that struck southern Turkey and spread to northern Syria on the sixth of last February left more than 50,000 dead and thousands wounded in both neighboring countries, and resulted in massive damage to the infrastructure. The earthquake forced at least 14 million people in southern Turkey to move to other parts of the country or to live in temporary shelters after their homes were completely or partially destroyed by the natural disaster.

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