Dos and Don’ts for Snake Bites – FAQs

Snake Bites – Everything you need to know in a nutshell

Snake bites are a life-threatening injury, and must be treated with utmost seriousness. If you or anyone you know gets bitten by a snake, you must call for an ambulance immediately and seek emergency medical services at the nearest hospital. Do not try to cut the wound and suck out the poison or apply a tourniquet. Instead, remove all tight clothing and keep the patient as calm as possible until help arrives. Snake bites are of 2 types – venomous and non-venomous. Although non-venomous snake bites are less dangerous, always err on the side of caution and take the patient to the hospital immediately. At the hospital, the doctors will treat the patient on an emergency basis and administer antivenin (if required) to save the patient’s life. Prevention is better than cure when it comes to snake bites, so always be very careful when you are outdoors.

What is a Snake Bite?

A snake bite is a wound caused by a snake, usually by sinking its fangs into the victim’s flesh. Snake bites are much more common and life-threatening than most people realise. The WHO estimates the around 5.4 million people all over the world are bitten by snakes every year. Of these, around 1.8 to 2.7 million people are bitten by venomous snakes.

What’s the difference between Venomous and Non-venomous snake bites?

When a snake bites you, it may inject poison into your veins. If it does so, it is a venomous snake. Once injected into the bloodstream, the toxins can spread throughout the body and affect key organs like the heart and the brain, causing partial or complete paralysis, and eventual death. The purpose of the venomous injection is to prevent the snake’s prey from thrashing around or moving away. Having said that, non-venomous snake bites can be as dangerous and should not be treated lightly.

Which are the most dangerous snakes in India?

In India, we have about 300 species of snakes, of which only about 15 are venomous enough to kill a human being. Four species of snakes are responsible for a majority of snake bites in India:

1. The Indian Cobra
2. The Common Krait
3. Russel’s Viper
4. Saw-scaled Viper.

If you or someone you know gets bitten by a snake, it would be good to make note of the approximate length, girth and colour of the snake. This could help the rescue team or first aid team identify the correct protocol for treatment. In case there is any doubt about whether the snake is venomous or non-venomous, it is usually safe to treat it as a venomous snake bite.

What is the correct First Aid for Snake Bites?

Snake bites are life-threatening and should be treated with urgency. First and foremost, you need to call an ambulance. While waiting for medical assistance, you can take the following steps:

1. Maintain distance from the snake. Avoid a second bite at all costs.
2. Remain calm and try to slow your breathing. Panic will increase your blood circulation and cause the toxins to spread more quickly throughout the body.
3. Remove any jewellery or tight clothing. This will help avoid swelling of the bitten area.
4. If possible, take a photograph of the snake that bit you and make note of the time at which the bite happened.

Here are some outdated first aid techniques for snake bites, which are no longer prescribed by doctors and should be avoided:

• Do NOT use a tourniquet or cut an incision around the snake bite.
• Do NOT apply a cold compress
• Do NOT attempt to suck the venom out with your mouth.
• Do NOT elevate the site of the snakebite above the patient’s heart.
• Do NOT self-medicate for the pain with alcohol or any OTC pain medication.

What are the symptoms of a Snake Bite?

The symptoms of the snake bite are based on the type of snake that bit you.

A non-venomous snake bite typically causes:

• Mild swelling
• Skin discolouration or darkening of the bitten area
• Bleeding at the site of injury

Venomous snake bites cause:

• A large wound (characterised by 2 distinct punctures) that bleeds excessively
• Sharp, throbbing pain at the site of injury. Depending on the type of venomous snake, the whole limb could be affected by this burning, throbbing pain.
• Abnormal sweating or drooling
• Nausea and vomiting
• Headache
• Blurred vision and dizziness
• A metallic taste in the mouth
• Muscle weakness or twitching
• Severe swelling of the affected limb
• Quick heart rate and weakened pulse

In case you have an allergic reaction to the snake venom, the body could go into anaphylactic shock. The symptoms of anaphylactic shock are:

• Skin rash (red patches), itchiness and hives.
• Swelling of the lips and tongue, making it difficult for the victim to speak
• Shortness of breath
• Being unable to swallow
• Loss of consciousness

Anaphylactic shock is a very serious, life-threatening complication of snake bites. It is crucial to get emergency medical help as quickly as possible.

Who is at Risk?

 Snake bites are more common in rural areas and forested areas. In cities, snake bites are rare, and usually only occur in parks, gardens or along waterbodies. Water-logged areas are breeding grounds for snakes, and residents who live in areas prone to flooding are at a higher risk of snake bites. In areas where manual scavenging is still common, the sanitary workers are at very high risk of encountering snake bites in the dark underground pipelines.

In rural areas, agricultural workers are primarily at risk of getting bitten by snakes while working in the fields. In small towns and villages where open defecation is still practised (despite schemes and subsidies from the government to construct toilets), snake bites are a common danger to people who go out into the fields to relieve themselves.

Travellers, nature explorers and trekking enthusiasts also have a significant risk of snake bites on their expeditions. Zoologists, herpetologists and zoo staff are also vulnerable to snake bites.

The following groups of people are particularly vulnerable, and have higher chances of mortality once bitten by a snake:

• Babies, infants and small children below the age of 8.
• Pregnant women
• Elderly people

How are snake bites diagnosed?

Once the snakebite victim has been taken to the nearest emergency hospital or clinic, the doctor will check the wound and diagnose the snakebite. Blood tests will be performed to check if there is venom in the body, and if so identify the type of snake venom. This step is crucial, as anti-venom formulations are highly specific to the species of snake. At this stage, it is important to give the doctor all the details you remember about the snake that bit the victim, as this can help them identify the venom correctly.

What is the Treatment for snakebites?

Non-venomous snake bites are not life-threatening. In most cases of non-venomous snake bites, the doctor will simply clean the wound thoroughly, and give the patient a tetanus shot.

Venomous snake bites are treated with anti-venom. Anti-venom is a type of anti-body therapy. A serum of concentrated anti-bodies to counteract the venom’s toxic effects are injected into the patient’s blood stream. Anti-venom can prevent damage to the body, but it cannot repair damage that has already occurred due to the toxin. It is for this reason that identifying the venom and administering the anti-venom as fast as possible is so crucial. Depending on the strength and amount of venom injected by the snake, the patient may need multiple doses of antivenin to successfully neutralise all the poison.

Some patients experience side-effects of anti-venom treatment such as:

How is Anti-venom made?

Anti-venom is manufactured by injecting controlled amounts of the venom into animals like horses. Small doses of the venom are injected over time to gradually build up the animal immunity to the venom. The animal then begins producing antibodies to the venom. The blood from these animals is harvested, and the plasma is concentrated to isolate the anti-venom.

What are the long-term consequences of a snake bite?

The long-term outlook for a snake bite victim is highly variable.

For non-venomous snake bites the outlook is very good, provided the wound is cleaned and treated properly immediately. Shallow bites heal very quickly and usually have no long-term effects. The patient may simply be left with a scar to remember the incident by. Deeper bites, depending on where they are located, can cause serious damage to nerves and blood vessels, which take time to heal. Do not ignore a snake bite just because it is non-venomous, as the wound can get infected and cause complications.

Patients with venomous snake bites can avoid fatalities by seeking prompt treatment and ensuring the correct antivenin is administered to the patient. The patient may be left with certain complications caused by the venom in the time taken to get treatment. The patient may be left with discoloured skin, blisters and tissue loss which may never fully recover to its original condition. In rural and forested areas, where immediate medical assistance is hard to come by, snake bites can be fatal or result in permanent damage to limbs.

How can Snake Bites be prevented?

Prevention is better than cure – Especially with snake bites!

Here are some general guidelines to help prevent snake bites:

• Open defecation is an absolute no-no.
• Be very careful while trekking or exploring nature. Be careful when you are walking on nature trails to avoid stepping on any snakes. Snakes usually do not bite unless they feel threatened so stay away from them.
• Wear long denim pants and thick boots while trekking. Studies show that thicker fabrics like denim offer some resistance to snake fangs and result in lesser quantities of venom being injected into the wound.
• Avoid working in the field at night and in warmer weather. That is when snakes are most active.
• Avoid known snake habitats.
• Choose appropriate plants in your garden so that snakes do not come there.
• Do not allow children to play in thick vegetation without any supervision.
• Always be aware of your surroundings. Avoid listening to loud music when outside in nature.
• Protect your homes from flooding. Snakes tend to swim around in flooded water and enter buildings.
• Don’t pick up a snake, even if you think it is non-venomous or dead.

Snake bites, whether venomous or non-venomous, pose a significant health risk and require immediate medical attention. Correct first-aid, knowledge about the snake, and swift hospital admission can be critical in limiting the harmful effects of a snake bite. In case of such emergencies, Kauvery Hospital, with branches located in Chennai, Hosur, Salem, Tirunelveli, and Trichy, stands ready with comprehensive, high-quality emergency medical services to tackle snake bites effectively. Awareness, preventive measures, and immediate medical intervention are key to effective snake bite management.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What should I do immediately after a snake bite?

Call an ambulance immediately. Keep calm, avoid moving the affected area, and remove tight clothing or jewelry.

2. How can I tell if a snake bite is venomous?

Venomous snake bites often cause severe pain, swelling, and symptoms like nausea, vomiting, and blurred vision.

3. What are the first aid steps for a snake bite?

Call for medical help, keep the victim calm, avoid moving the bite area, and take a photo of the snake if possible.

4. What should you not do after a snake bite?

Do not use a tourniquet, cut the wound, apply a cold compress, suck out the venom, or give the patient alcohol or painkillers.

5. How can I prevent snake bites?

Avoid open defecation, be cautious while trekking, wear protective clothing, avoid working in fields at night, and keep your surroundings clean and free of thick vegetation.

6. What are the symptoms of a venomous snake bite?

Symptoms include severe pain, swelling, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, blurred vision, and muscle weakness.

 

Kauvery Hospital is globally known for its multidisciplinary services at all its Centers of Excellence, and for its comprehensive, Avant-Grade technology, especially in diagnostics and remedial care in heart diseases, transplantation, vascular and neurosciences medicine. Located in the heart of Trichy (Tennur, Royal Road and Alexandria Road (Cantonment), Chennai (Alwarpet & Vadapalani), Hosur, Salem, Tirunelveli and Bengaluru, the hospital also renders adult and pediatric trauma care.

Chennai Alwarpet – 044 4000 6000 •  Chennai Vadapalani – 044 4000 6000 • Trichy – Cantonment – 0431 4077777 • Trichy – Heartcity – 0431 4003500 • Trichy – Tennur – 0431 4022555 • Hosur – 04344 272727 • Salem – 0427 2677777 • Tirunelveli – 0462 4006000 • Bengaluru – 080 6801 6801