General News
7 February, 2026
Stop your day having a sting to it
Not all encounters with the bush are harmless – and minor bites and stings should never be ignored.
That's the advice from Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) president Dr Sarah Chalmers.
“While we like to joke about the things that bite and sting here in Australia, the risks are real – especially in rural and remote areas," she said.
“Of course, there are the usual suspects: snakes (brown, tiger, taipan… pick your poison), spiders (redback, funnel-web), scorpions, ants (including very angry bull ants), wasps, bees, ticks… and add into that if you are at the beach: bluebottles, box jellyfish, stone fish… the list goes on."
Some land mammals can also “pack an unexpected punch”, Dr Chalmers added.
“While [flying foxes] can look cute and harmless, particularly if they are carrying a baby, they can also be carrying very nasty diseases and should not be handled directly,” Dr Chalmers said.
“[They] can carry Australian Bat Lyssavirus (ABLV), which is closely related to rabies and can be transmitted to humans through bites, scratches or saliva entering broken skin, your eyes or your mouth.
“ABLV is rare but can be fatal if untreated so any bite or scratch from a bat is a medical emergency and requires urgent treatment, so don’t handle a fruit bat, alive or dead,” she explained.
For any bite, Dr Chalmers advises to seek medical advice if you experience increasing pain, swelling or redness at a bite or sting site, nausea, vomiting or headaches, dizziness, confusion or collapse, difficulty breathing, or signs of infection.
“Any suspected snake bite should be treated as a medical emergency,” Dr Chalmers said.
“It’s always safer to get checked early. A little preparation can stop your holiday ending with a nasty sting in the tail!”
Rural doctors recommend this for the outdoors:
• wear closed shoes and long pants
• use insect repellent
• check for ticks regularly and remove them safely
• shake out boots and sleeping bags
• use a torch at night
• avoid reaching into logs or long grass
• don’t touch dead or dying animals
• seek medical advice early if unsure.
