This was forwarded to me and I thought I’d post it here. Have a safe and happy holiday from everyone at Protozoic.

Forwarded Message Below

WARNING PLEASE FORWARD TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW!!!

Holiday Brown Recluse WARNING

Holidays are an important time of year, meant to be spent with friends and family and no one wants theirs spoiled. To ensure that your holidays are happy, please take extra care in the winter months and WATCH FOR BROWN RECLUSES.

Brown Recluses are one of the most deadly spiders in the world. Last year a well known university disclosed, “Proportionally, one drop of Brown Recluse venom is 10 times more potent than a King Cobra, and 5 times more deadly than cyanide.”

In winter Brown Recluse females give birth to spider litters. Recluse spider litters are often found in domestic areas near heating units and paper sources. The females use the paper to construct their nests, which house anywhere from 500 to 1000 baby spiders. This year alone, over 200 cases of Brown Recluse attacks occurring around home computer printers have been reported to the Surgeon General.

More alarmingly, however, have been the number of Brown Recluse bites which have occurred in the bathroom. Because of regular usage and small area space, bathrooms are frequently the warmest and coziest places in any home. Toilet paper in the bathroom provides an excellent cubby hole for spider litters. Since October, 982 bites have been reported, 306 of these fatal. Because Brown Recluse venom has a numbing agent, many victims have reported not knowing they had been bitten until hours after – generally after a friend or family member noticed symptoms.

Two signs to watch for are:

1) Extreme swelling and bruising of anus
2) Profuse bleeding from rectal area

Ask your GP about other signs.

Bite victims generally don’t even know until it is too late.

This year, rather than making a list and checking it twice, check the toilet paper twice before you wipe.