Expert warns of rise in scorpion and snake bites during earthquakes
Emergency medicine specialists who responded to the 6 February earthquakes in Kahramanmaraş came together at a national congress held by the Turkish Emergency Medicine Association (TATD) in Antalya. The conference, which had disaster and earthquake as its central theme, involved nearly 1,000 emergency medicine specialists from all over the country who discussed the latest scientific evaluations of cases encountered in emergency rooms in various sessions and courses. Moreover, the Earthquake Workshop was held with specialists from the 10 most affected provinces, where ongoing problems and measures to be taken were evaluated.
During the workshop, experts noted that Adana City Hospital and other regional medical facilities are facing a significant patient load due to dispersed applications from heavily damaged provinces to surrounding provinces. They also observed that many emergency physicians and health personnel who lost relatives in the earthquake were still managing daily visits from up to 2,000 patients despite being located in relatively small provinces. The experts further noted that since many people in the region are unaware of field hospitals where they can receive polyclinic services, they frequently apply to emergency departments for even minor health needs, which can jeopardize the critical patients’ access to emergency departments. They emphasized the need for informative guidance to the public concerning this issue.
After the workshop, TATD Disaster Group Secretary Assoc. Dr. Sarper Yılmaz stated that physicians and health personnel impacted by the earthquake’s housing issues remain unresolved, with many forced to vacate their families in other provinces due to a lack of accommodation. He further noted that Earthquake CPR had provided services in 10 cities since 6 February, meaning many physicians and medical staff required treatment and accommodations.
Yılmaz also warned that the region had seen a rise in snake and scorpion bites and eye infections among people due to environmental emergencies. He added that the warmer weather conditions might lead to an increase in critical patient admissions to emergencies, and they would prepare a report on what precautions should be taken to address these environmental emergencies.
Finally, addressing the lack of awareness among citizens concerning alternative health facilities, Yılmaz stressed the need to inform citizens about the available field hospitals in the region. He added that it was crucial to meet basic needs in the area, such as accommodation, to ensure that permanent patient care services could be provided there.
