Australia has a fearsome reputation for venomous animals, but when it comes to spiders it is considered a lucky country.
The Medical Director of the NSW Poisons Information Centre, Darren Roberts explains.
“We're lucky actually in Australia, there's really only one spider we're particularly worried about and that's the funnel-web. Although there's a lot of talk about redback spiders being toxic, they can cause you to be unwell, the chances of dying or even having severe poisoning requiring hospital admission is very low. So, all other spiders in Australia are generally considered to be low or non-toxic.”
Although the redback spider does contain venom, effects take hours to develop and do not require medical treatment, unless there are signs of infection or aggravated symptoms.
The first aid treatment for a redback is the same as any spider, except the funnel-web.
Shaun Francis is a doctor at the Queensland branch of the Royal Flying Doctor Service, a not-for-profit provider of aeromedical transport, healthcare and 24-hour emergency services in Australia’s rural and remote communities.
The RFDS Telehealth line on 1300 69 7337 is the first point of engagement for health advice, while triple zero (000) calls redirect to this line when patients need aeromedical care, including for snake and spider bites.
“The aeromedical retrieval service is the service which would enable the patient to get to the care that they require. And so, snakebites, spider bites require definitive care. And a lot of our patient populations are in places where they can't receive that. So those patients will call us directly, they'll speak to a doctor on the phone, the doctor will provide advice to them, first aid, and then kick off the approach to determining the appropriate logistics to get that person to the care that they require.”
But for all snakebites as a precaution, you need to call triple zero immediately, in case it becomes an emergency.
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