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If you're bitten ...

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Redback spider from rear, showing the bright central marking

Redback spider from rear, showing the bright central marking

My reading—not my personal experience, I'm happy to say—tells me that the bite is not instantly painful; it takes a few minutes for pain—which can become excruciating—to develop, along with other symptoms, including sweating, nausea and belly pain. The pain increases in severity, and is made even worse if the bite is bandaged or otherwise has pressure applied.

Victims are advised to apply iced water, take pain killers, and get medical attention without delay. Children and old people are at risk of death, but healthy adults are not. In any case, an antivenom for redback spider bite was released for use in 1956. It was developed by Dr Saul Weiner and is made and distributed by Commonwealth Serum Laboratories.