From the “really scary” files is this story about a small Australian hospital that had to be closed because of a horde of poisonous spiders. Redback spiders, common in Australia and a relative to the Black Widow, have a painful bite and are very toxic. The Baralaba Multi Purpose Health Service was forced to close because of the large numbers of spiders found throughout the hospital. Apparently there is a tolerance for a limited number of poisonous spiders in this hospital, but officials worry when the words “infestation” and “spider plague” get mentioned.

Redback spiders are SCARY, make no doubt about it. They are jet black with a splash of red, and capable of delivering a fatal amount of poison with each bite. Oh yeah, they are barely the size of a pea too. The bites can cause “severe pain, muscle spasms and ultimately death.” There is an anti-venom available, but we’re sure the hospital doesn’t want to have to ever use it.

Bruce Dekker, a local pest controller, revealed how crazy the spider infestation was getting in the small town:

We’ve been inundated. We’ve had them in toys and Tonka Trucks, under kids’ bike seats and even in sand pits where kids are playing.

Warm weather is to blame for the spider infestation. Patients and staff are being moved to a nearby medical center as specialists fumigate the entire hospital to kill both the spiders and the eggs.

[Telegraph.co.uk]

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