A Nottinghamshire mum has described the "shocking" moment that a small insect bite on her daughter's hand grew so large that she ended up in hospital for nearly a week. Sasha Godsman, seven, spotted a spider while she was at school and decided to pick it up and put it outside through the window.
The insect bit Sasha on Thursday (July 6) and when she initially went back home, the bite mark was very small and she was not showing any other symptoms. But by the next day, the bite was so swollen that her mum took her to a local walk-in centre.
They advised the Aspley family to go to their GP, who said that they needed to go straight to A&E because the bite had gone septic. Sasha ended up in the Queen's Medical Centre for nearly a week, developing Strep A during her stay due to the infection from the bite.
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Sandra Booth, 55, said the species of spider that bit Sasha was later confirmed to be a 'brown recluse' one. The injury it caused means that Sasha may need to have a skin graft, though it is hoped her skin will grow back naturally.
Mrs Booth said: "Sasha saw the spider, picked it up and put it outside. It's just like her to try and help things out, but it bit her whilst she had it in her hand. She probably didn't even feel it because it was just one pinprick.
"She came home on Thursday and when we saw the bite we thought nothing of it, because it was really small. But Thursday night, she was tossing and turning and becoming frustrated because she couldn't get comfortable.
"When she got up on Friday morning, it was there. It was crazy, the blister had bubbled right round to where her knuckles were, they were red raw."
The spider had bitten Sasha's left hand, with medics at the QMC identifying the breed of spider after examining the bite and infection. Due to the 'brown recluse' being poisonous, its bite has completely killed all the skin between Sasha's first and second fingers, the section of her hand which may need a skin graft.
Encyclopedia Britannica says the brown recluse is most common in the western and southern United States, though reports of an emergence in the UK have previously been made. It has a body length of around 7mm and a leg span of around an inch.
The NHS says many insect bites can be treated at home or with the help of a pharmacist. However, the health service stresses that people should see a doctor if symptoms worsen, they feel dizzy or a large area around the bite becomes red and swollen.
But the NHS says people should call 999 if they get a skin rash that may include itchy, red, swollen, blistered or peeling skin. Sasha was discharged from the QMC on Wednesday (July 12) with the affected skin bandaged up, before she returns in a fortnight to see whether a skin graft is necessary.
Mrs Booth says Ambleside Academy, which Sasha attends, has been alerted to her symptoms and the breed of spider that caused them so that first aiders are prepared if anyone else is bitten. Mrs Booth added: "It's shocking to think something so little could be so dangerous."
