After several days of trying to figure out what caused burn-looking marks on her daughter’s skin, Mummy Carolyn Lee finally figured it out after finding a Charlie Ant on her bed.
Recently, Mummy Carolyn Lee took to a WhatsApp group to warn others about a recent incident that has affected her daughter.
“Was left clueless to what have been the possible cause of the kesan melecur on my daughter’s feet for few days, till I saw this little Charlie on the bed..”
Carolyn shared some photos of the scar on her daughter’s feet to warn other parents living in the same block about these dangerous little pests.
Photo by: Carolyn Lee
‘Charlie ants’ are actually not ants — they are a species of beetle in the Paederus genus and are also known as rove beetles. These beetles go by the name ‘Charlie ant’ in Malaysia due to their similar appearance to ants when they are crawling on the ground.
Photo by: Carolyn Lee
These beetles thrive in moist habitats such as crop fields, riverbanks, drains, pools, and lakes. With hot weather and human activities that disrupt their natural habitat such as harvesting or ploughing of rice fields, rove beetles reproduce and leave in massive infestations to nearby residential areas.
They are attracted to fluorescent lights so they will often invade brightly-lit buildings.
Image via Entomart/Wikipedia
But these dangerous rove beetles do not bite or sting. Instead, accidentally crushing them on human skin causes them to release of a toxin called paederin, which is highly toxic towards human beings and more potent than cobra venom.
The toxin found in the fluid of their bodies burns the skin and causes dermatitis linearis – a painful rash that is red and itchy and may develop into blisters if not careful.
Carolyn also urges parents to go to the clinic as soon as possible upon seeing blisters form.
“I just brought my toddler to clinic after 3 days ( because i thought it was just normal scalding). She’s already feverish and need antibiotics now..”
She only took her daughter to the clinic after 3 days as she thought it was just normal scalding. But now her daughter is a little bit feverish and has to take antibiotics.
Earlier this year, MOH has also shared several easy ways to avoid being “bitten” by Charlie Ants on its official Twitter page:
So if you ever see a Charlie Ant in your home, follow these steps recommended by the MOH:
1) Avoid physically touching Charlie Ants.
2) Recognise and avoid disturbing the Charlie Ants.
3) Blow if Charlie Ants perched on your skin.
4) Wash the area that got contacted with Paederin fluid with water and soap.
5) Turn off the nearby light when sleeping.
Please be aware that this skin discomfort is mild but can move to other areas such as the face and genital area. It can also cause conjunctivitis in the eyes.
