Aussie tourist's warning after 'insane' injury while sleeping in Bali villa
A small, red mark on Natalie Carroll's leg turned into something sinister within a couple of days when things started going 'downhill'.
Travellers often fear Bali belly ahead of their trip to Indonesia but one Aussie woman is warning people to be aware of a lesser-known danger that has left her with "welts" and "scabs" on her body.
Natalie Carroll, 24, was halfway through her 10-day trip last week in Uluwatu when she spotted a "little red mark" on her leg last week.
"On Thursday morning I noticed I had a little red mark that was very, very faint on my leg. I just monitored it throughout the day and it started to welt," the Gold Coast woman told Yahoo News. "It wasn't until Friday morning when I woke up that it was pretty red, and it was forming lots of baby blisters — it went downhill from there."
Common Bali insect responsible for 'painful' blisters
After seeing a doctor, Natalie was told her severe skin irritation had been caused by a tomcat beetle. It's something "she'd literally never heard of".
"They sit on you and then if you go to brush them off they release a toxin and I think what's happened is, in my sleep, I've brushed it off and now I have this on me, it's insane... and it's painful," she said, referring to the large blisters on her leg.
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The beetle has no way of injecting their toxin via a bite or sting, instead inflicting injuries via skin contact.
"Initial symptoms include reddening of the skin, and a 'burning' sensation," Dr Swaid Abdullah, an expert in veterinary parasitology, previously told Yahoo News. "This is followed by painful irritation and itching, and if untreated can lead to extensive pustules and blistering of the skin after four days."
Natalie was given a topical cream and oral antibiotics by the doctor, saying she was thankful she addressed the skin irritation early rather than her symptoms developing further.
Tourist's warning to Aussies travelling to Bali
Natalie has urged Aussies to take simple precautions to help them avoid what she experienced.
"I would say, if you're staying in an indoor-outdoor villa or anywhere that's not enclosed accommodation, invest in insect repellent. Set insect coils and have them at each doorway," she said. "And if you do notice any little marks, go to a doctor as soon as possible, it gets much worse really quick."
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