Britain's 'most dangerous plant' strikes in Somerset: Toddler is left with ... trends now
A toddler was left screaming in pain after a brush with 'Britain's most dangerous plant' had him covered with blisters so bad that his skin had to be removed.
Kayvon Wright developed red spots on his face and hands the morning after walking with his mum near Chard Reservoir in Somerset, England.
Initially diagnosed as chickenpox, the spots soon developed into painful blisters, and the two-year-old boy was rushed to a burns unit.
It was only two days later that the true culprit was revealed – little Kayvon had touched the dreaded giant hogweed.
Mum Samantha Morgan from Ebbw Vale, Wales, said: 'The blisters filled up, and they spread all over his mouth and his face.
A toddler was left screaming in pain after a brush with 'Britain's most dangerous plant' had him covered with blisters so bad that his skin had to be removed
Kayvon Wright developed red spots on his face and hands the morning after walking with his mum near Chard Reservoir in Somerset, England
'He had a massive blister on his face and it popped on his cheek, and it was oozing.
'When we went to the Bristol burns unit they had to remove some skin.
'I think that was the most horrific thing for me: I will never forget my son's screams as they were taking his skin off him.'
She continued: 'It was horrendous. It was absolutely horrible.
'He was really stressed out by that point.
'He was in so much pain that he was just lethargic, he didn't want to do anything, he was just lying in a hospital bed with bandages on his hands and his legs.
'Normally he's really active and outgoing, but he was just lying there not doing anything.'
Giant hogweed carries a sap that stops the skin protecting itself against the sun's rays, causing gruesome burns when exposed to natural light.
Giant hogweed carries a sap that stops the skin protecting itself against the sun's rays, causing gruesome burns when exposed to natural light
It was only two days later that the true culprit was revealed – little Kayvon had touched the dreaded giant hogweed
What's more, it often causes no immediate pain, meaning its victims can continue to burn in the sun heedless of any problem.
And the plant can spread its sap with only a moment's exposure.
Miss Morgan, 32, said Kayvon would've 'literally just brushed against it'.
She said: 'He was just walking up the pathway that goes up to the reservoir, and obviously he's just grabbing hold of everything that he can, touching plants and flowers.
'We didn't even know hogweed existed.
'Then, when he got it on his hands, he's touched his face and spread it around his body. It didn't activate until it was really sunny the following morning.
'It started off with just some red spots on his hand, some red patches on his skin. It was almost like he had sunburn on his fingers.
'And then it went from that to having little blister spots.
'At first we thought it could be chickenpox; but they
