Funnel web and mouse spiders

• Funnel web spiders bites (Eastern Australia) can cause death but this is very rare. Their bites are mostly minor.
• For funnel web and mouse spider bites, immediate medical attention is important. 
  • In significant bites, the effects on the body may start quickly, with tingling of the lips and twitching of the tongue.
  • Place a firm pressure bandage over the bite area, then down the limb, then up again to the groin or armpit.
  • Use a splint to prevent movement. These will help prevent the poison from spreading.
  • The person who has been bitten should be taken to the nearest medical centre as quickly and as 'passively' as possible (passively means that the bitten person should make as few movements as possible - ie be carried if possible).
  • Do not use tourniquets, cut or suck, or apply any chemicals on the wound.
  • If the spider can be safely caught you could do this - but it is very important to make sure that the person who is bitten is not bitten again and that no-one else is bitten.
• Since the use of anti-venom, no one in Australia has died of a funnel web spider bite.
• For more information have a look at the Toxinology site about Sydney Funnel Web Spiders and other types of funnel web spiders
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• source : http://www.cyh.com/SubDefault.aspx?p=98.