A three-day-old baby girl miraculously survived being stung by a deadly yellow scorpion after the arachnid hid inside one of her diapers.
Sofia Ferreira’s mother had just changed her into a fresh nappy in their home in Bahia, northeastern Brazil, when the baby’s body suddenly went limp and she began foaming at the mouth.
Upon arrival at hospital, doctors found the scorpion inside the diaper, still attached to Sofia’s umbilical cord, having stung the baby seven times.
Miracle baby: Fernanda Ferreira holds her baby daughter Sofia, who survived being stung by a deadly scorpion that had hidden inside her nappy
Doctors said Sofia only survived thanks to receiving multiple doses of antidote within a two-hour time frame.
Her mother Fernanda Ferreria, 25, said that ten minutes after bathing her daughter and putting on a fresh diaper, the child went limp and started foaming at the mouth.
‘Sofia felt really soft and weak. She didn’t want to be nursed and was struggling to breathe. I thought she had reflux. I had no idea a scorpion was buried in her diaper and had stung her seven times.’
The baby was rushed to hospital in Vitoria da Conquista, Bahia state and was given six emergency doses of anti-corticosteroid serum.
The paediatrician who cared for Baby Sofia has spoken of her shock at finding the eight-legged arachnid still alive and clinging to the baby’s umbilical stump.
Survivor: Sofia was rushed to hospital where doctors found the scorpion when they removed her diaper – the arachnid still attached to her umbilical cord
Killer: The scorpion, pictured after being removed, had somehow made it into the baby’s fresh nappy and was caught between it and Sofia’s skin
‘I was so frightened when I opened up Sofia’s diaper and uncovered the scorpion. I panicked because I was too scared to take the insect off myself, so I ran to ask for help from a security guard who removed the creature,’ Dr Camila Mirante at the Esaú Matos Municipal Hospital.
After spending three days in intensive care the newborn, now three weeks old, was discharged and has since made a full recovery.
Mrs Ferreria, who has two other children, said: ‘I was in a state of shock when I learned that my daughter had been stung seven times by a scorpion.
‘I began to cry with my husband, Magno, because we were convinced our child was going to die.’
Mrs Ferreria suspects the scorpion entered the home through a drain in the bathroom can climbed into the cupboard where Sofia’s diapers were being kept.
‘The insect must have crawled into the diaper and I didn’t notice when I put it on Sofia.’
Lucky: Thanks to swift action from her family and medics, little Sofia has made a full recovery
Since the incident, the family have refused to return to their home, and have instead moved in with a relative,
‘We were too scared to go back because the chances of one of our children being stung again was too much of a risk to take,’ she said.
‘The fact that Sofia survived without any problems means she was meant to be here, and she is a gift from God.
‘I’ve heard of recent cases of children aged two and five who were stung just once and died. My baby is truly a living miracle.’
The yellow scorpion is the deadliest in Brazil, and responsible for 184 deaths in the South American country in 2017.