WHAT TO DO IF YOU GET BITTEN BY A SNAKE AT HOME OR ABROAD
I wanted to continue discussing the dangers of Australia as everything in the country is designed to kill you. Today, I’m focusing on poisonous snakes. The first month I was there, all I heard from Australians was to watch out for snakes (Spiders, sharks, crocodiles, and jellyfish too, but we'll save them for another blog post). They also said it’s unlikely I’d get bitten by one, however, if I did I’d probably die in about two hours if I didn’t get to a hospital, and no worries, mate. Finally, I was warned that if I did make it to the hospital and they give me the wrong anti-venom I’d probably die too, but as you guessed, no worries, mate.
I wasn’t totally sure how helpful this advice about not worrying really was to preventing snake bites, but there were also helpful tips like don’t walk through tall grass and avoid anything that looks like a snake. Snakes don’t like you much, so they will avoid you if they know you’re coming. It’s recommended that you make lots of noise during your hikes and use a walking stick to disrupt the path ahead of you if it’s concealed by vegetation. Some rugged Australians also suggested that you kill any snake that bites you and bring it with you to the hospital to ensure you get the correct anti-venom. I’ll leave that decision to you. (Poison control does advise against capturing it, and says to just take a pic or get the best description you can. That's probably a good idea.)
Thankfully, I’ve never had to drag my poisoned body to a hospital, but here are some valuable tips if you do suspect that you’ve been bitten by our slithery friends:
Call 911 or its equivalent if you’re outside of North America (although in the UK they had to forward 911 service to their 999 service because so many North Americans were using it, LOL) Here is a list of 911 equivalents around the world from the US State Department that you can use before your trip to prepare.
Do not try to suck out the venom, or tie off a limb to restrict blood flow.
Don’t apply ice to the bite.
Keep the person calm, and encourage them not to move around too much. Keep the bite below the heart to reduce the flow of venom.
If an ambulance isn’t able to come to you, take the victim to the closest medical facility. Carry them if possible as we don’t want their heart to start pumping that venom around too much. And do not stop at a drive-thru for snacks along the way.
It is recommended that you get medical attention even if you've been bitten by a non-venomous snake as there are still risks of infection, and to make sure it was indeed not poisonous.
I’ve only covered some very brief points of what to do and how to avoid snakes. I feel most of it is common sense, but if you are gonna be heading to snake country I recommend reading The dos and don’ts of snake safety before your trip.
Finally, I strongly recommend seeking expert advice for more detailed guidance on snake bites before your expedition as I'm just a guy with a blog. Let me know in the comments below if you’ve ever been bitten by a snake, and exes don’t count. Good luck and hope you stay venom-free.