A two-year old girl has just been discharged from hospital after a black widow spider bite left her seriously ill and fighting for her life, reports Tengri News, citing Lada KZ.
While not confirmed, it is reported that the girl was playing with friends in the Mangystau Region and swallowed the spider, upon which she fell ill and deteriorated throughout the rest of the day.
Following her admission to a local hospital, she was assessed and transferred by plane to a regional children’s hospital where she arrived on a ventilator and in a first-degree coma requiring emergency care.
According to Mereke Bekbayev, Head of the Anesthesiology, Resuscitation and Intensive Care Department, the treatment needed had been established ahead of her arrival by doctors in a telemedicine consultation.
During her ten days in intensive care, the team monitored her condition closely around the clock and administered the necessary anti-venom twice.
The medics on the ground maintained contact with specialists in other cities until the girl regained the ability to breathe independently and could be taken off the ventilator.
After the ten days, she was moved to a special ward and ultimately allowed to return home after a total of two weeks in hospital.
Experts point out that black widow spider bites are rarely fatal in healthy adults, but great care is required if encountering this arachnid, identifiable in a few key ways.
“Adult female black widows are typically shiny black with a distinctive red or orange hourglass-shaped marking on the underside of the abdomen,” says Ed Dolshun of Catchmaster.
In the event you are bitten, Dolshun continues his advice and makes it very clear that it is not something to leave to chance.
“Contact a medical professional promptly. If it’s safe to do so, take a photo of the spider to help with identification, but don’t risk another bite trying to capture it. Vetter recommends going to the hospital and, if the spider has already been killed and can be safely collected, bringing the spider with you.”
In the event that children are affected, as this news highlights, all the more urgency is required.
