{"id":8988,"date":"2014-06-15T06:00:36","date_gmt":"2014-06-15T10:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/candostreet.com\/blog-parents\/?p=8988"},"modified":"2014-06-13T14:44:12","modified_gmt":"2014-06-13T18:44:12","slug":"summer-and-snakes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/candostreetny.com\/blog-parents\/summer-and-snakes\/","title":{"rendered":"Summer and Snakes"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"snakes\"<\/a><\/h1>\n

With summer comes the need to be aware of the places that snakes usually inhabit.<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/h1>\n

The University of Alabama at Birmingham recently treated its first snakebite case of the season, noted Dr. Janyce Sanford, chair of the university’s department of emergency medicine.<\/p>\n

“That is a usual pattern. As soon as the weather starts to warm up, snakes begin to get active and we begin seeing a bite or two. Still, we only see a few each spring, and people have a much greater chance of being stung by a bee or wasp or being bitten by a tick than being bitten by a snake,” Sanford said in a university news release.<\/p>\n

If you’re in the woods or near rivers and creeks, keep an eye out for snakes and wear boots and long pants, she warned. It’s also a good idea to carry a cellphone.<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n

“Get to an emergency department as quickly as you safely can, and that can often be accomplished by calling 911,” Sanford said. “Snap a picture of the snake with the cell phone if possible, but leave the snake behind. The last thing we need in a crowded emergency room is a snake, dead or alive.”<\/p>\n

Emergency doctors do not need to see the snake that caused the bite. A large number of bites are dry — with no venom injected — or are from nonpoisonous snakes, Sanford noted. By monitoring the wound for a few hours, doctors can tell if venom is present, and appropriate antivenin can then be given to the patient.<\/p>\n

Most bites by snakes are not fatal. Those at higher risk include the elderly, very young children and people with underlying medical problems”, Sanford said.<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h3>\n

More information:<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h3>\n

The U.S. National Library of Medicine has more about snakebites.<\/p>\n

SOURCE: University of Alabama at Birmingham, news release, April 24, 2014<\/p>\n

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