Las Vegas comedy queen Luenell Campbell spent seven days in the hospital after bug bites spiraled into a medical emergency. The veteran entertainer — who headlines at Jimmy Kimmel’s comedy club on the Strip — was admitted to the ER after performing a set while seated, unable to stand from the pain.
“As I was sitting there, the blood was throbbing to my right foot,” Campbell, who performs only as Luenell, said on an Instagram video.
Campbell said she felt herself getting bitten while sitting on her Las Vegas porch during Halloween, dressed in a ghost costume. When the bites wouldn’t stop itching, she saw a doctor who said he couldn’t see anything.
“I’ve been scratching mosquito bites all my life,” she said. “I’m from Arkansas. But I think they got some different mosquitos out here in Vegas. These bitches can bite through clothes.”
Yes-Feel-Ums
Doctors later confirmed the culprits weren’t mosquitoes at all, but no-see-ums (aka biting midges and ceratopogonidae), nearly invisible insects measuring just 1–3 millimeters.
Unlike mosquitoes, which pierce skin with a proboscis and inject anesthetic saliva, no-see-ums slice skin with scissor-like mouthparts, causing immediate and intense pain, and red welts that, if persistently scratched, can lead to secondary infections.
No-see-ums, which thrive in warm climates and swarm at dusk or dawn, have seen increased activity in Las Vegas in recent years. Dermatologists report daily patient visits for their bites.
By the time she was admitted, Campbell’s left foot had developed cellulitis, a potentially serious bacterial skin infection that can spread rapidly through the bloodstream if left untreated.
“I had knee surgery, I wasn’t in the hospital like this,” she told KVVU-TV/Las Vegas. “I had a C-section, I wasn’t in the hospital like this. No, I’ve never spent seven days in the hospital.”
After IV antibiotics and rest, Campbell returned to the stage the following Sunday. She reported that she can walk again but her foot remains weak and scarred.
Fans flooded her social media with support, and she reassured them she’ll keep performing.
“Anybody who knows me, knows that I don’t cancel shows,” she said on Instagram.
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