Jack jumper ants send more people to hospital in Tasmania than in rest of Australia
By Adam Langenberg
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Marley, now 9, is not scared of playing in the grass anymore.
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Four-year-old Marley Dowde was playing cricket in her northern Tasmanian backyard in January 2016 when she was stung twice in quick succession by a jack jumper ant.
Key points:
Tasmanians were hospitalised at the highest rate for ant, tick and caterpillar stings in 2017-18
Experts blame this on the prevalence of jack jumper ants, a highly aggressive species, in Tasmania
The Jack Jumper Allergy Program helps desensitise people to jack jumper venom