In Australia, an invasion of potentially lethal redback spiders has forced a Queensland hospital, the Baralaba Multi Purpose Health Service, to close down.
The spiders have moved into the main sections of the hospital in order to take advantage of the warmth there for breeding.
"Certainly in the area there has always been redbacks but we haven’t had a problem at the hospital. With the amount of eggs there we can’t leave them with our regular spraying, so we really need to do something about it," says Rural Director of Nursing Ellen Palmer.
The hospital is being temporarily shut down to allow for a fumigation treatment in an attempt to get rid of the poisonous spiders and kill all of the eggs they have laid.
The redback spider is common in Australia and in the local area in question. Their bite stings but the poisoning can be treated by an antidote. However, their poison is severe enough that it can cause throwing up, dizziness, hypertension, and possibly paralysis.
The great fear upon discovering them was that they would fall upon patients’ beds. Given that the patients already are likely to have compromised immune systems, it is believed that there were serious risks to their lives. There are 10 beds at the facility, which is made out of wood.
"What we’re concerned about is that we may get redbacks dropping through some of the air-conditioning ducting or through… exhaust fans. We’re concerned that some of these openings are above the patients’ beds," Bruce Dekker, a fumigator with CQ Propest Services, stated.
He went on the point out that it has been a great season for rainfall and that, combined with the warmth this season, has created the humid conditions that are ideal for the redback’s breeding.
Redbacks commonly become problematic during this season, with up to 10,000 Aussies bitten every year. A fairly high percentage of those bitten receive their bites in Queensland.
No-one at the hospital was bitten.
According to Palmer, the hospital is rather on the old side, but definitely not run-down or dilapidated. The hospital has had additions put on over time and she opines that this has created a greater number of nooks and crannies which attract redbacks in search of shelter.
Queensland spider expert Robert Raven says he is surprised that the redback, which is not natural to Queensland, is causing such a disturbance even with the high humidity.
Baralaba is home to about 300 people and lies 200 miles northwest of Brisbane and one hour’s drive from the town of Moura in the heart of Queensland.
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