Boy Almost Blinded By Millipede

Thailand has some wonderful and diverse wildlife, many of which we never come across in our daily routines but when humans and certain creatures come into contact, the former is usually the one who suffers. Once such incident happened around six weeks ago, when a young boy went to bed and was fast asleep, no doubt enjoying a dream.

His mother heard him screaming and ran to see what had happened. She discovered her son's right eye was closed, swollen and filled with a yellow fluid. As she lifted the boy from his bed, she saw a millipede curled up on his pillow.

The lad had apparently rolled over on the creature and it released an acidic poison, which infected his eye.

The child was rushed to hospital, where he was treated successfully but doctors warned that the millipede is capable of causing blindness, if the poison has entered the iris.

The millipede is common in Thailand and is referred to as "ging geu" by locals. They use their acid defence system as a form of protection. The strength of the poison depends on the variety of the millipede.

The boy's mother warned others to check their beds before going to sleep.

Fortunately, cases like this appear to be rare but best to be careful.