SOME VENOMOUS SNAKES YOU MAY FIND IN YOUR GARDEN
DEATH by snakebite is rare, but what do you do if you or someone you are with is bitten? And what are the chances of survival?
First up, keep the victim calm. Get them to lie flat and avoid movement. If possible, allow the bitten limb to rest lower than the victim’s heart.
And go to hospital immediately, says Rhodes University MSc zoology student Chad Keates, whose focus is snake systematics.
Especially if bitten by a snake you cannot identify. Never take chances.
Venoms differ in terms of potency and type, and differ in terms of effect. Some are quicker to kill than others, which in turn might still be enormously damaging to the body.
Most bites occur in summer, between January and April.
● DO NOT try to suck the venom out – this is a myth;
● DO NOT try to apply a tourniquet to try to stop venom travelling into the body. It travels in the lymphatic system, not the blood, says Keates. And a tourniquet may cause further harm; and
● NEVER try to catch a snake if unsure of the species, especially not by the tail as a Western Cape mountainbiker did. He was photographed holding a Cape Cobra by the tail.
In hospital you’ll be given an antivenom based on your symptoms.
Puffadder and Rinkhals venom is cytotoxic, says Keates.
“The anti-venom they will give you is polyvalent and is available at most hospitals.”
Although slow-acting, a puff adder’s venom is one of the most toxic of the viper species and if left untreated can result in severe internal haemorrhaging, gangrene or death within about a day.
The faster you get to hospital the better your chances of limiting the damage to the tissues.
A Rinkhals tends to spit rather than bite, but its bite can cause general paralysis and impaired breathing, which can lead to death.
While these snakes tend not to feature in human bites, dogs are often spat at or bitten.
A bite from a Cape Cobra, which has a fast-acting neurotoxic venom, may lead to one’s lungs collapsing.
“The best thing is to get to a hospital so you can get onto a respirator because your lungs could literally collapse. Pumping oxygen into the lungs can keep a victim alive for a long time,” Keates said.
A Boomslang – the deadliest snake in Africa – is the exception in terms of venom requirements. It needs monovalent anti-venom.
“One thing I must stress is that people who get to hospital in time have a huge chance of surviving.
“Death by a snakebite is very, very rare and happens mainly to people who are in remote places.”