A child came out only after hitting a plant and touching it. But after touching ‘Britain’s most dangerous plant’, he kept groaning in pain and his face got so blistered that his skin had to be removed. Kayvon Wright developed red spots on his face and hands the next morning after a walk with his mother near Chard Reservoir in Somerset, England. But even doctors were left wondering what had happened.
Initially diagnosed as chickenpox, the spots soon turned into painful blisters, and the two-year-old boy was taken to a burn unit. Only two days later it was discovered that Kayvan had touched dangerous giant hogweed.
Mother Samantha Morgan, from Ebbw Vale, Wales, said: ‘His blisters healed, and they spread all over his mouth and face. When we went to the Bristol burns unit they had to remove some skin. ‘I think it was the most terrifying thing for me, I will never forget my son’s screams when they were skinning him.’
Dangerous blisters had formed on the child’s body. (Symbolic photo: Wikimedia Commons)
He further said, ‘It was horrifying. It was absolutely horrible. He was really stressed at that time. He was in so much pain that he became completely lethargic, he didn’t want to do anything, he was just lying on the hospital bed with his hands and legs bandaged.’
Giant hogweed contains a sap that prevents the skin from protecting itself from the sun’s rays, causing severe burns when exposed to natural light. Furthermore, it often does not cause immediate pain, meaning its sufferers can continue to sunburn without worrying about any problems. And the plant can spread its juice with just a moment’s exposure.
In case of infection, Kayvon had to take antibiotics, and was put on a drip for fluids and pain relief. This was enough. He was in the Bristol Burns Unit for six or seven days. There were big red spots on his skin for eight months. But the effects of exposure to giant hogweed will last much longer.
Tags: Amazing news, Bizarre news, OMG News, Weird news
FIRST PUBLISHED: May 7, 2024, 07:51 IST