Snake bites ain’t pretty. As soon as I hit the age where I realised the danger, I hesitated to tumble around the mountain behind my parents’ house as much as I had before.

Instead, every sound and every creak sounded like an imaginative hiss. You can thank Discovery for that insight.

But one thing we were taught is to stay very still if we ever got bitten and scream for help, rather than run around in a panic.

(We once watched this video of a dog who did that and he died before they could get him help because the venom travelled through his blood quicker. The things that stick in your memory, hey.)

So anyways, Chris Hobkirk owns the largest venom extraction facility in the country and had a few pointers on what to do if you ever find yourself with a snake bite, tips brought on after a Nelspruit woman was bitten by a black mamba:

Amanda Bloem‚ 39‚ said she experienced pins and needles in her face and lips and felt “stoned” about half an hour after she was bitten. Her husband Barend‚ also a snake catcher‚ then rushed her to a hospital where she was treated.

Hobkirk said that it is not wise to wait until after one’s symptoms begin to show to get help.

A black mamba’s venom is neurotoxic‚ which means it kills faster than other types of venom.

Here are his five tips:

There is nothing you can do on site – get to a hospital.
Don’t wait for an ambulance to get to you – “you’re gonna die”.
Phone someone close to you and tell them which hospital you are on your way to so that they can find you if you pass out on the way.
Remain physically calm and immobile. The more you move‚ the faster the venom will kill you.
Do not cut‚ suck or put ice on the wound. These home remedies are ineffective and waste time (see tip 1).

Also, make sure you can identify which snake has bitten you, either by name or by what it looks like – each snake has a different kind of venom and needs a suitable anti-venom.

Here are the poisonous snakes we get in the Cape area, and what the effects are if you don’t get treated ASAP:

Cape Cobra – Potently neurotoxic, causing flaccid paralysis and respiratory failure; fatalities common due to respiratory arrest.

Boomslang – Hemotoxin Venom contains enzymes which activate prothrombin and factor X, leading to a consumptive coagulopathy, severe hypofibrinogenaemia and fatal bleeding if untreated.

Puff Adder – Potently cytotoxic; severe local pain, extensive swelling and blistering, compartmental syndrome, necrosis, hypovolaemia, shock; blood coagulation abnormalities.

Some other tips:

There are three groups of venomous snakes in southern Africa – cytotoxic, neurotoxic and haemotoxic.
Since snakes inject the same amount of venom into adults and children, the same dose/volume of antivenom must be administered to children as in adults.
Respiratory support is the only life-saving treatment modality in neurotoxic snake envenoming.

Read all about southern African snake bites HERE.

[sources: timeslive&cmej]