The scotching heat in Chiredzi has caused the death of a woman who was bitten by a black scorpion while sleeping outside the house with her husband on Sunday.

The couple was sleeping on a mat on the ground to escape unbearable temperature inside the house.

Masvingo Provincial Police Spokesperson Kudakwashe Dehwa confirmed the death.

“I can confirm that a woman who was sleeping with her husband outside their house was bitten by a snake and died two hours later in Chiredzi,” said Dehwa.

Dehwa said that Flora Munorwei (40) of Zunguza Village, Chief Gudo went to bed with her husband Kesias Muzundi outside the house as it was too hot inside.

At around 9pm, Munorwei who was already asleep screamed that something had bitten her on the left shoulder and her husband checked and saw a big black scorpion and called the kids to kill the scorpion.

The scorpion left a black mark on Munorwei’s shoulder and they rushed her to St Joseph Gudo Clinic in a wheelbarrow where she was pronounced dead on arrival.Her body was taken to Chiredzi General Hospital for post mortem.

Black scorpions known as parabathus transvaalicus are known to be poisonous. In Zimbabwe they are found in the most dry parts of the country which is the Lowveld and Southern Region.

A Ministry of Health official who is the Masvingo Provincial Medical Director, Amadeous Shamu said cases of deaths resulting from scorpion sting are a few and mostly people who are bitten by scorpions survive.

“Most patients who are bitten by scorpions survive but however we have rare cases of deaths depending on the type of scorpion since we have some scorpions which are very dangerous,”said Shamu.

– Masvingo Mirror