'I nearly died on Egypt holiday after deadly spider bite in my bed in the UK'

Nigel Hunt
-Credit: (Image: Jam Press/Nigel Hunt)


Nigel Hunt, a 59 year old Brit on holiday, faced a life-threatening ordeal in Egypt when an unnoticed spider bite on his stomach began to have serious effects. Completely unaware of the dangerous encounter with the spider while he was asleep at his home in the Isles of Scilly, Nigel and his wife Sandra had embarked on their much-anticipated Egyptian getaway.

Speaking about the ordeal, Nigel said, "On arriving at the airport and travelling through check-in we made our way to departures," but his health rapidly declined. He recounted the harrowing details, "At this point, everything seemed to deteriorate quite quickly from being sick in the departure lounge to having my head in a sick bag for most of the journey."

Despite his deteriorating condition upon reaching Sharm El Sheikh, Nigel attempted to combat the sickness with medication from a local pharmacy, noting, "They prescribed a couple of things and the following day we went to hospital to be prescribed the same medication."

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The meds offered no relief, leading the St Mary's resident to seek further medical assistance: "The next two days started to get worse so we went to a different hospital in Hadaba where straight away I had blood tests and ultrasound scans."

"Then we waited a couple of hours for the doctor to check the results."

To Nigel's horror, he was informed that the bite on his torso was from a potentially lethal insect.

"He called us in saying it was a good job we had come in because the bite was from either a false widow or a brown recluse spider."

That evening, upon returning to the hospital to have what he assumed were abscesses addressed, he was stunned to learn he was actually battling a rare flesh-eating disease known as 'necrotising fasciitis'.

As per NHS guidance, this condition can quickly become life-threatening if infected, thus necessitating urgent medical attention.

He shared his relief about making a second visit to the clinic, convinced it might have been a life-saving decision, stating: "If I hadn't been to the hospital for a second examination within six to 10 days, I would be dead."

"They haven't given me an all-clear date yet as the wound is still open and I have to have it packed every couple of days."

"I just have to make sure it hasn't started spreading again."

"It could be a couple of weeks before I could fly back home. Luckily we have an apartment out here to stay."

Nigel, mindful of previous accounts of necrotising fasciitis occurring in the Isles of Scilly, prompted his fellow islanders to exercise caution, commenting: "I thought it only right to tell everyone on the Isles of Scilly to be careful and check for spiders."

"I don't know what the outcome will be from this, but I hope it stops anyone else from going through the pain and agony this has caused."