Snakes cause tens of thousands of deaths every year. The WHO estimates that every year nearly three million people are bitten by snakes. Depending on the year, the number of deaths generally varies between 80,000 and 130,000. Because being bitten by a snake in Asia or Africa is a possibility to consider. Here is a guide to help you manage and survive a snake bite.
Snakebite, how to avoid it?
– making noise when walking
When walking in unsafe places, people usually try to make noise by tapping their feet on the ground. But we will also slow down our train a little to give ourselves more time to discover what is around us.
– avoid dense areas and tall grass
As soon as there is a lot of vegetation or tall grass, there is a risk of being bitten by a snake. If you are forced to walk in areas where there is more or less vegetation, take a stick to walk on. This will allow you to keep the snake away or give it a good blow to its head.
You have been bitten, what can you do?
If by inadvertence or not inadvertently, you did not respect the elementary rules of safety and you or one of your relatives was bitten, then you will have to follow a rigorous protocol with the sole aim of staying alive.
Keeping calm
In the moments following the bite, it is imperative to remain calm. And as far as possible, try to memorize what the snake that has just bitten looks like. If you are a witness and you have a camera with a zoom, it is best to take a picture of the snake. This can be useful later on for health care teams and save time.
It is also essential to move away from the area where the attack took place. Indeed, it is hard to imagine it, but the snake can attack many times, injecting you with even more venom.
And during all this time, you must concentrate on your breathing to keep your calm and avoid the venom spreading throughout your body. Breathing slowly, avoiding panic, will significantly increase your chances of survival. The body is very resistant and will be able to withstand the dose of venom. Of the millions of people who get bitten each year, only two to three percent will die.
When the person bitten by a snake is in the shade and lying down, usually in a lateral safety position, we will try to put the part of the body where the bite is below the heart. This is to limit the spread of the venom further.
A bandage to get ready to hit the road or to wait for help.
Before we drive to the nearest treatment center, we’re going to have to prep the victim. So we’re going to bandage the bitten limb reasonably tightly.
Usually, the bite is on the leg or hand. With the help of a bandage, we will wrap the limb by tightening a little and mainly by going up as high as possible. This is to stop the venom spreading in the body. It is useless to squeeze too tightly because the limb that has been bitten will swell a little.
Be careful not to suck the venom, nor to a tourniquet, it could be counterproductive. Opening the wound is also useless, especially when you don’t know which snake is involved.
Going to the nearest clinic or hospital
To have a better chance of survival, it is best to go to the nearest clinic. Or better still, carry some anti-venom ready to be injected. Especially when traveling independently away from urban areas. On the other hand, in some developing countries, rural hospitals do not have anti-venom in stock because of the insufficient budget.