There are few creepy-crawly creatures more terrifying than spiders. Maybe it’s cause they’re so unsightly. Maybe it’s because they’re carnivorous. Maybe it’s because of the 1990 horror film Arachnophobia. Or, maybe it’s stories like the one coming out of Australia this week.
10-year-old Matthew Mitchell was working with his dad, cleaning out a shed behind their house in north Sydney. A small funnel-web spider that had been hiding in his shoe managed to bite his finger and injected its venom into his bloodstream.
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Speaking to reporters, Matthew said, “It sort of clawed onto me and all the legs and everything crawled around my finger and I couldn’t get it off.”
His family rushed him to a hospital after using a t-shirt as a compression bandage in an attempt to slow down the spread of the venom. Even after experiencing some convulsions, Matthew survived the ordeal by taking 12 shots of anti-venom. Experts say that is an Australian record for one person receiving doses of anti-venom.
The funnel-web spider is said to be one the world’s most deadly spiders. It’s venom attacks the nervous system, causing muscle spasms, foaming at the mouth, and potentially death. An anti-venom for its effects was created back in the 1980’s, and there have been no reported deaths from funnel-web spider bites since that time.
There was a report of a 5-year-old girl being rushed to a hospital, back in December, after allegedly being bitten by a funnel-web spider that caused her leg to swell. It was apparently due to an allergic reaction to the bite.
The little girl, Lola Hutton, arrived home from school and immediately began complaining of a bump “about half the size of a Ferrero Rocher.” Not long afterward is when her condition worsened and she had to be taken to see doctors.
The spider was caught by Matthew’s family and turned over to the Australian Reptile Park where it will be milked of its venom as a part of their ongoing efforts to manufacture anti-venom vaccines. Tim Faulkner, the general manager of the Australian Reptile Park, told reporters that Matthew was, “as lucky as they get.“
Matthew is reportedly doing fine now. No word on if he plans to visit his arachnid nemesis at the Australian Reptile Park.
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[H/T: New York Post]
