
They may look cute and fuzzy, but people are being warned not to touch the puss caterpillar, according to UPI.
One two-year-old girl from Portsmouth, Va. learned that lesson the hard way when she went to the hospital after touching one of them.
The mother of the little girl, Melissa Hicks said when she heard Chloe screaming she acted right away.
'I had seen this caterpillar before on Facebook, so I panicked and said, we've got to go to the ER now, because at that time she was screaming bloody murder,' Hicks said.
She put the poisonous caterpillar in a container and quickly got her daughter to the hospital.
According to Hicks, the poison spread quickly, 'By the time I got to the emergency room, the rash had spread up her forearm and was heading up towards her shoulder.'
The puss caterpillar has toxic bristles underneath their fur which break off when they are touched, causing horrible pain.
Bon Secours Internal Medicine Physician Dr. Elenor Kurtz said when someone touches the caterpillar they get an instant reaction where the person touched it. She also said they'll then get 'a local reaction with some redness, swelling and you can see some spread up the arm sometimes. Usually following along the line of blood supply to the arm.'
Doctors were able to treat Chloe Motrin and Benadryl to help with the swelling. On Friday, she still had a mark on her hand where she had touched it.
If you happen to touch a puss caterpillar there is an easy way to remove the spines. Doctors recommend using Scotch tape to pull out the broken spines in your skin.
Doctors then say to wash the area with soap and water. Use Calamine lotion and put ice or bag of frozen peas on it to relieve the pain and stinging sensation.
GMT 14:01 2018 Thursday ,30 August
Expat with rare heart disorder gets life-saving surgeryGMT 00:18 2018 Tuesday ,23 January
Boy with 10-pound tumour on face diesGMT 21:23 2018 Monday ,22 January
All set for first global medical tourism conference in DubaiGMT 22:46 2018 Sunday ,21 January
Second face transplant for FrenchmanGMT 07:51 2018 Saturday ,20 January
Trio aquitted of negligence in Canada railway disasterGMT 10:57 2018 Thursday ,18 January
Breastfeeding for 6 months cuts diabetes risk in half: studyGMT 16:10 2018 Wednesday ,17 January
Child mummy in Italy had hepatitis, not smallpoxGMT 18:36 2018 Tuesday ,16 January
Greece strikes cause transport chaos, healthcare delays

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2025 ©
Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2025 ©
Send your comments
Your comment as a visitor