If you have previously had a serious allergic or anaphylactic reaction to an ant bite: you should consult your doctor about the need for you to carry adrenaline for use in the event of a bite.
If you have been bitten inside the mouth or throat: ring 000 for an ambulance.
If you have been bitten by an ant and have previously had a serious allergic or anaphylactic reaction to an ant bite you should follow these steps:
If you have been bitten by an ant and have NOT previously had a serious reaction to ant bite you should follow these steps:
If you have previously had a serious allergic or anaphylactic reaction to a bee sting: you should consult your doctor about the need for you to carry adrenaline for use in the event of a sting.
If you have been stung inside the mouth or throat: ring 000 for an ambulance.
If you have been stung by a bee (but less than 10 stings in an adult and less than 5 stings in a child) and have NOT previously had a serious reaction to bee sting you should follow these steps:
The blue-ringed octopus is found in all Australian coastal waters. Bites from these creatures are usually as a result of handling them; they can inject highly toxic venom when they bite.
Blue-ringed octopus do not exhibit their characteristic blue rings except when they are disturbed.
Initially a person may not feel a bite. Then, within a few minutes, the person may feel tingling sensations in the tongue or lips and soon develop difficulty speaking or seeing. They may vomit and collapse within 10 minutes. Paralysis may cause breathing to stop.
Pressure and immobilisation to the bite area is required to limit the movement of the venom from the area. This is similar to treating a snakebite.
Apply a compression bandage over the bite, bandaging upwards from the lower portion of the bitten limb (see pressure-immobilisation technique).
Splint the limb. Keep the victim still. Bring transport to the victim.
Ring 000 for an ambulance.
If breathing has stopped, begin Expired Air Resuscitation.
A number of species of caterpillars can cause painful, itchy and inflamed skin reactions when hairs they shed become embedded in the victim’s skin.
Often the hairs are brittle and break away above the skin surface. These hairs can cause eye injury if they get into the eye.
There are many fish in Australian waters that have venomous spines. Penetration of the skin by these spines causes a wound that requires medical attention because of the risk of infection and to update tetanus immunisation.
The usual immediate symptom is severe pain. In some cases it can be severe enough to cause shock.
The most dangerous fish in this group is the stonefish, which is not found in Victorian waters.
Examples of stinging fish in Victoria include: catfish, chained scorpionfish, cobblerfish, flathead, the fortescue, the goblinfish, gurnard perch or gurnard scorpionfish, the old wife (zebra fish), rabbit fish, rat fish, the red rock cod and stingrays.
The best treatment for the severe pain is heat. The heat breaks down the venom so it is inactivated. Immerse the affected area in water that is hot enough to be effective but not hot enough to scald. It is best for someone other than the victim to test the water temperature. If no one else is present, the victim should test the temperature with a non-injured limb.
Keep the affected area immersed in hot water until the pain is relieved or has subsided. The hot water may need to be topped up to maintain the pain relief. If no relief is obtained after 30-90 minutes, seek medical attention for alternative pain relief.
Do not apply compression bandaging, this will increase the pain.
Seek medical assessment immediately for cleaning of the wound, tetanus immunisation, pain relief, if required, and therapy to prevent infection.
(including centipedes, mosquitoes, earwigs, etc.)
For Ant, Bee, Caterpillar and Wasp stings see specific first aid information.
If you have been stung by an insect you should follow these steps:
Dangerous jellyfish found in Australian waters include the box jellyfish (chironex fleckeri) and an array of jellyfish thought to cause the Irukandji syndrome, including carukia barnesi. These are not found in Victorian waters.
Jellyfish in Victorian waters rarely cause serious illness but can cause severe pain.
Remove adherent tentacles by flooding area with sea water, picking off with gloved fingers or forceps or scraping them off with a firm implement (e.g. a credit card). Do not pick off with bare fingers.
Apply cold packs to relieve pain. For stings from physalia species (bluebottle or portuguese man-o-war), immersion of the affected area in hot (not scalding) water may alleviate pain. It is best for someone other than the victim to test the water temperature. If no one else is present, the victim should test the temperature with a non-injured limb.
Antihistamine medication or cortisone cream may be required, ask your pharmacist or doctor.
Seek medical attention if the symptoms are severe.
Leeches cause unwarranted fear in many people. When they latch onto skin, their bite is almost painless. They introduce an anticoagulant so that they can feed on the victim’s blood. When the leech becomes grossly swollen it falls off.
The symptoms from leech bite that may warrant medical attention are infected bite site and leech allergy.
Even if you have never been bitten by a leech before, watch for the following symptoms, they may indicate a serious allergic or anaphylactic reaction, which requires urgent medical attention:
The scorpions found in Australia are not considered dangerous, compared with the scorpions from South America. A scorpion sting may be painful and cause some redness and swelling. The main concern from a scorpion sting is the risk of the sting becoming infected.
Wash the sting area with soap and water.
Apply a cold pack for pain and swelling.
Seek medical attention if your tetanus immunisation is not up-to-date, if the area becomes infected or if the stung area has not cleared up within 2-3 days.
There are other venomous snakes found in other parts of Australia.
All snake bites should be regarded as being dangerous. Identification of a snake is difficult and there are serious consequences of wrongly identifying a snake as non-venomous.
Bites from venomous snakes do not always cause illness; sometimes a snake will not be able to achieve an effective bite and may only scratch the victim.
Most cases of snakebite can be avoided by following these simple rules:
Medical treatment is NOT always required following a bite from a Redback Spider. Many bites will only cause a local reaction including pain, redness, swelling and heat. The treatment for these symptoms is to wash the bite area with soap and water, apply a cold pack and take a simple analgesic such as paracetamol. Application of a bandage will not help; it may make the pain worse.
When the term 'funnel-web spider' is used, it is generally a reference to the dangerous spider atrax robustus, which is found in and around Sydney.
There are some related spiders in the funnel-web Spider family that are found in other parts of Australia, including Victoria. There are few case reports of people being bitten by the Victorian Funnel-Web spider.
Despite being a relative of the Sydney Funnel-Web spider, the venom from the Victorian Funnel-Web spider is only known to cause general symptoms such as headaches and nausea.
For other spider bites, the treatment is aimed at minimising pain and the risk of infection.
For most spider bites, this is all the treatment that will be required. Some spider bites may result in mild symptoms, including headache and nausea, but usually do not require any specific treatment.
This treatment is appropriate for bites from the white-tailed spider (lampona cylindrata). As for other spiders, medical treatment is only required if the bite has not cleared up in 2-3 days or if there are signs of infection or tissue damage.
White-Tailed spiders are very common and many people are bitten without any serious reaction. There is a common belief that white tail spider bites cause skin ulcers and tissue damage, but there is no good evidence to support this. The bite site may be painful; a red mark with associated itchiness, pain or lump may persist for up to 12 days. An antihistamine may help control any pain, swelling or itch. Antihistamines are available from pharmacies without a prescription. The pharmacist will be able to recommend one suitable for you.
Spider photographs are used with kind permission of Museum Victoria Entomology Department.
Ticks attach themselves to humans or any warm-blooded animal in order to gorge themselves on the blood of their victim. They do not bite and leave, they remain attached until they are engorged with blood and are hundreds of times the size they were when they attached. Ticks will often detach themselves after 4 days.
Ticks can cause a range of illnesses. Some ticks found in the eastern parts of Australia can cause paralysis. All ticks can transmit infectious diseases and can cause infection of the bite site. Some people are allergic to ticks.
Ticks live in foliage such as long grass and attach themselves to warm-blooded animals as they brush against the foliage.
For all tick bites, effective removal of the whole tick is important. Attempting to remove a tick can sometimes result in the tick's head or mouthpiece remaining embedded in the victim; these can be difficult to remove. The more a tick is handled, the greater the amount of toxin it will release into the victim.
Effective removal of a tick is achieved by lifting it out using forceps or tweezers. Grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible to ensure that the mouthpiece and head are not left in the skin. Remove the tick with straight, firm and steady movement without rotation. If you are unable to do this, see your doctor to remove the tick.
There have been various other techniques advocated for tick removal over the years. Some of these are no longer recommended. Applying kerosene or petroleum jelly may make the physical removal of the tick more difficult as a firm grasp is more difficult to achieve. Holding a flame or hot match to the tick is also no longer recommended because of the risk of burning the victim, and an agitated tick will release more toxin into the victim.
If you have previously had a serious allergic or anaphylactic reaction to a wasp sting: You should consult your doctor about the need for you to carry adrenaline for use in the event of a sting.
If you have been stung inside the mouth or throat: Ring 000 for an ambulance.
If you have been stung by a wasp and have previously had a serious allergic or anaphylactic reaction to a wasp sting you should follow these steps:
If you have been stung by a wasp (but less than 10 stings in an adult and less than 5 stings in a child) and have NOT previously had a serious reaction to wasp sting you should follow these steps:
Wasps in Victoria
1. Apply a broad pressure bandage over the bite site as soon as possible (do not take off clothing, as the movement of doing so will promote the movement of venom into the blood stream). Keep the bitten leg still.
Crepe bandages are ideal, but any flexible material may be used. Clothing, towels etc. may be torn into strips. Panty hose have been successfully used.
2. The bandage should be as tight as you would apply to a sprained ankle.
Note: Bandage upwards from the lower portion of the bitten leg. Even though a little venom is squeezed upwards the bandage will be far more comfortable, and therefore can be left in place for longer if required.
3. Extend the bandage as high as possible up the leg
4. Apply a splint to the leg. Any rigid object may be used as a splint. e.g. spade, piece of wood or tree branch, rolled up newspapers etc.
5. Bind the splint firmly to as much of the leg as possible
If possible apply firm pressure over the bitten area. Do not restrict chest movement.
No first aid for bitten area.
After the compression bandage is in place:
If the bandages and splint have been applied correctly, they will be comfortable and may be left on for several hours. They should not be taken off until the patient has reached medical care.
The doctor will decide when to remove the bandages. If venom has been injected it may move into the blood stream very quickly when the bandages are removed. The doctor should leave them in position until he or she has assembled appropriate antivenom and drugs that may have to be used when the dressings and splint are removed.
The bandages can always be quickly re-applied if deterioration occurs, and left on until urgent additional antivenom therapy has been effective.
(Pressure immobilisation information reproduced with the kind permission of the Australian Venom Research Unit .)
Sutherland SK, Tibballs J. Australian animal toxins. Melbourne: Oxford University Press; 2001.
Williamson JA, Fenner PJ, Burnett JW, Rifkin JF. Venomous and poisonous marine animals: a medical and biological handbook. Sydney: University of New South Wales Press; 1996.
Sutherland SK, Sutherland J. Venomous creatures of Australia: a field guide with notes on first aid. Oxford University Press: Melbourne; 1999.
Sutherland SK, Hawdon GM, Winkel KD. First aid for snake bite in Australia: with notes on first aid for bites and stings by other Australian venomous creatures. The Australian Venom Research Unit: Parkville; 1999.
Walker KL, Yen AL, Milledge GA. Spiders and scorpions commonly found in Victoria. The Royal Society of Victoria: Melbourne; 2003.
