SPIDER BITES

Spider bites can be a result of meddling or stepping with the spider’s home/territories. To avoid spider bites:

• Do not play around garbage bins or garden rubbish.
• Get the adults in the home to check cubby houses or sheds regularly with you before you play in them.
• Wear shoes when you’re playing outside.
• Watch out for spiders’ webs inside and outside the house. Tell mum or dad so that they can get rid of them and spray so that the spiders are killed.
• If you live in an area where there are funnel web spiders, red back spiders, mouse spiders or any poisonous spiders, learn about them and where they like to live, then avoid them.

Treatment

• For most spider bites use an ice pack to lessen the pain and swelling. (Funnel web spider bites need to be treated differently – more like snake bites.)
• Paracetamol may help if you are in pain.
• Antihistamines could be useful if you are very itchy.
• Ask a parent or caregiver to take you to a doctor if the pain is bad or you feel sick.
• Always go to the doctor quickly if you think that you have been bitten by a poisonous spider.
• Tell the doctor what kind of spider bit you or remember what it looked like if you don’t know its name.
• Use surface spray to kill the spider and others that might be nearby.