My distraught sister has just phoned to tell me that her husband is in hospital after being bit by, as yet unknown, insect.

He works as a ship's agent which necessitates him boarding ships in the port of Hull and doing what a ship's agent does. Apparently he was between decks and he felt a bite on his foot, as he was wearing steel toe capped leather boots it must have been one helluva bite!

On reaching the captain's cabin he managed to get his boot off a rapidly swelling foot to discover puncture marks on his big toe but no sign of the wee beastie what did it. His whole leg began swelling and he was rushed to hospital, his leg by now three times as big as his other leg. His blood pressure and temperature were sky high and, understandably, he felt pretty crap. His leg has ballooned so much that the skin is splitting and blistering and breaking into open sores. He is on intravenous antibiotics and painkillers and here is the worrying part, large doses of a 'purple' pill because they think the beastie has burrowed inside him and the pills are meant to kill whatever it is!!!

I asked my sister where the ship had sailed from but I'm afraid she didn't know as she was too upset to asked. Any further developments I'll post as and when.