A 40-year-old woman received a surprising and painful welcome home when she was stung by a scorpion at Logan Airport yesterday. Massachusetts State Police and Boston EMS have confirmed the incident which occurred in Terminal E just after 7:30 p.m., when she was collecting her bags after a flight from Mexico, as WCVB reported.
The woman was at the baggage claim area in customs when stung and was promptly taken to a local hospital, though information about her current condition isn't available but what is intriguing is the origin of the scorpion which remains unclear, according to police who could not provide details on where the scorpion hailed from, or even its species, as NBC Boston detailed.
Scorpion encounters are not commonly associated with the Northeast, as these arachnids typically inhabit dry, desert areas mainly in the southern and southwestern United States. However, scorpions can also dwell in grasslands, forests, caves, and evidently, they occasionally find their way into travelers' luggage, with over 2,500 different species scattered across every continent except Antarctica, the Mayo Clinic and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises the risk of serious complications from stings is higher in young children and older adults though most healthy adults do not need treatment with symptoms typically subsiding within 48 hours.
The Massachusetts State Police is continuing to investigate how the scorpion found its way into the airport, and while they together with airport officials are reviewing the situation, it serves as a stark reminder of the unexpected guests that can slip through the cracks in our global transit systems, including creatures like scorpions which are rare but nonetheless a cause for vigilance and preparedness and especially when travelers are returning from regions where such critters are more common, according to statements from both the NBC Boston and WCVB reported.
