Tropical insect warning as girl, 15, bitten in UK bedroom suffers organ failure
A girl who fell into septic shock after being bitten by a pharaoh ant in her bedroom says she is “too scared” to go back.
Rayanne Turay was blue-lighted to hospital and began to suffer from organ failure after being bitten by the bug. But despite pleas from the family, Wandsworth council say they will not be permanently rehoused. Rayanne, 15, who spent a week in hospital told the Mirror: “I’m too scared to go back”, adding she feels paranoid about falling ill again if she was to return to her old bedroom.
She added: “I’ve been having nightmares about being bitten again. I’m traumatised about going back home because I’m scared I’ll get bitten and become septic again. I’ve stopped eating. I’m constantly thinking about what happened to me. I feel like I can’t go back to being my normal self until I know we will be rehoused somewhere else. I can’t sleep or get comfortable because I’m on the sofa at my nan's house and there’s no room for me here."
Rayanne in bedroom where she was bitten
Pharaoh ants at the home (Philip Coburn /Daily Mirror)Exterminators have tried three times to rid the Battersea flat of the infestation but have so far been unsuccessful. Colonies will often be located in very hard to reach places such as inside walls, which makes them difficult to get rid of. According to the British Pest Control Association, pharaoh ants thrive in heated buildings and are not safe to live with.
Natalie Bungay, Technical Manager at BPCA told the Mirror: “They’re known for their ability to spread disease, transferring bacteria by their contact with surfaces. They’re a public health pest so you don’t want Pharaoh ants living in your home. Treatment can take anywhere from 3 weeks to 6 months, it really depends on how large the infestation is.”
London flat for rent for £1,400 a month with bed tucked away in kitchen cupboard
Mum Jordann Griffiths, 33, is adamant that an exterminator will not fix the problem. She said: “We’ve had hundreds of ants crawling across our floors and walls. They crawl out at night and bite us in our sleep. The bites sting. They’re distinctly large, swollen and filled with pus.” She added: “After the sepsis, we’re both just so traumatised.
"Rayanne is suffering mentally and does not want to return to the room that she was bitten in.” The pair are having to sleep on Jordann’s mum’s sofa whilst they urge the council to rehouse them. Jordann added: “When I brought this up to the council, their response was that they can’t rehouse us because we’re not a priority. Even despite the ants, and despite the sepsis that almost killed her.”
Rayanne in hospital (ITV)In a discharge note from Chelsea and Westminster hospital, doctors said: “We believe it is inappropriate for the family to return to their previous accommodation due to the fire ant infestation. Rayanne has been traumatised by her experience, and contrary to what the council has said, three treatments have not been effective.”
Responding to the family’s request to be rehoused, a Wandsworth Council spokesperson said: “This is obviously a distressing set of circumstances and we sincerely hope this young person makes a swift and full recovery. We are aware of a Pharaoh ant infestation at this resident’s property and using a pest control contractor we have treated the property three times over the summer and will continue to repeat the treatments until the problem has been dealt with.
“A number of repairs to the property are also in hand and while we carry out these repairs and treatments we are offering the resident alternative accommodation so this situation can be resolved as quickly as possible.”
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