Thinking of heading to Australia to do a bit of labouring? Consider this a cautionary tale... and before we all start visualising a deadly spider sporting a hard hat and a high vis vest; it was the 21-year-old working on the building site.
The BBC are reporting that a 21-year-old male was bitten on the penis by a Redback Spider (similar to the Black Widow) after he used a portable toilet on a building site in Sydney this morning.
According to the report: "A spokesperson for St George Hospital confirmed that a 21-year-old man was treated for a redback bite... The spider's bite causes severe pain, sweating and nausea. The BBC spoke to the owners of the property who confirmed that the man had been bitten on the penis."
While an antivenom is in use, and there's been no recorded deaths since its creation in 1956, getting bitten on the nethers by a venomous spider would still be considered an unpleasant experience that's best avoided. In other words, check around the rim of the dunny - even if it's being used by a load of builders.
