With the arrival of warm other that people, some animals are getting out of dormancy are becoming more active. One of those animals is snakes. We bring you a few tips on how to react in an encounter with a snake, and what to do if you get bitten by a snake.
Bite signs
In case of a bite, the site of the bite can have two small wounds made by snake teeth. Sometimes there is only one lesion. But even the bite does not mean that the snake has injected the poison. It has been proven that even at 22% of proved snake bites; there have been no signs of poisoning.
Some of the signs of poisoning are:
- Dizziness
- Nausea and vomiting
- Pain and swelling at the site of the bite
- Swollen lymph nodes in the groin after a bite in the leg or armpit after a bite in the arm.
Although these are all symptoms of the bite, it is still believed that the most dangerous effect of the bite is shock.
What (not) to do in case of snake bite
If you are bitten by a snake, these are some of the actions that you need to follow:
- Bitten person has to lay still.
- Immobilize leg or arm where the bite wound. This slows the spread of toxins in the body.
- Remove eventual jewels from the bitten limb
- Leave the wound to bleed
- Transport the person to the hospital.
The most common mistakes that you should not do:
- Do not tie off the bitten limb.
- Do not cut the wound
- Do not suck out the poison
- Do not put ice on the bite.
Prevention is the cure
Some bites, such as when a person accidentally steps on a snake, it is almost impossible to prevent. However, there are precautions that can greatly help you reduce the chance of a snake bites:
- Leave the snake alone. Many people were bitten while trying to kill a snake or get as closer to the animal as possible.
- Avoid tall grass if you do not have proper shoes (thick leather boots), and move the existing tracks.
- Do not place your arms and legs in places that are not transparent (in a bush or behind a stone).
- Do not pick up rocks or pieces of wood if you’re not at a sufficient distance from potential attacks snakes. In particular, be careful and alert you climb the rocks.