(ERGO) – Pastoralists living in rural parts of Mataban in southern Somalia’s Hiran region report being stung by insects that are causing painful swellings and fever.
Sahro Mohamed Mohamud went to hospital after being stung twice, leaving her body swollen. She described the insects she saw:
“They are like cockroaches but with a very long sting. They have two white dots on their back wings and they fly in groups of five to six and land on you at night if you have a torch or light a fire.”
Before going to hospital, however, Sahro went to a traditional healer who used fire to burn the skin around the insect stings, causing nasty wounds.
Dr Ali Bashi, a doctor at Beletweyne general hospital, told Radio Ergo that he had treated 20 people who were stung by these yet to be identified insects between 25 March and 12 May. He urged patients to seek medical attention and not to use fire. “People stung by these insects need to visit the nearest health centre and seek treatment. Using traditional treatment methods such as burning the affected area with fire doesn’t help in any way. Medically speaking, fire doesn’t heal anything at all,” he said.
Pastoralists in villages such as Takraalle, Doxaale, Madax-marodi, and Kunaso on the border between Ethiopia’s Somali Region and Hiran have been bothered by the insects and have started using mosquito nets and even cooking inside at night to avoid attracting them.
Elders say they have not seen these insects before. Muktar Seedow, an entomologist at Hiran university, said it was possible that they had migrated from another area due to the extreme drought.
