Seven hospitals in SZ provide snakebite treatment

(From L) Antivenoms in treatment of snakebites cause by vipers, cobras, banded brait, and Deinagkistrodons. File photo

A total of seven hospitals in the city have antitoxic serum available to treat patients bitten by snakes, Shenzhen Evening News reported.

The seven hospitals are the Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University in Guangming District, Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital in Futian District, the University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital in Futian, Shenzhen Bao’an Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Shenzhen Longgang Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Shenzhen Pingle Orthopedic Hospital in Pingshan District and Kuichong People’s Hospital in Dapeng New Area.

Snakes are active in the summer. Trimeresurus stejnegeri (Bamboo Viper) is said to be the most common venomous snake found in the city.

Other venomous snakes including banded krait, Bungarus multicinctus (many-banded krait) and cobra are also seen in the city, said the report.

Doctors with the Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University advised citizens to stay away from the place where they were bitten by snakes.

Sticks and other tools can be used to scare away snakes. If accidentally bitten by snakes in water, citizens should get out of the water to avoid drowning.

The second step after being bitten by snakes is to check the shape of the bite. If it was in shape of two dots or two slashes, it could be venomous.

Citizens can take a photo of the bite when they cannot decide whether the snakes are venomous or not so as to help doctors conduct effective treatment.

Then citizens should keep calm and avoid running fast in order to slow down the spread of venom in the body.

Accessories such as rings, bracelets or watches should be removed. Finally, citizens can use a strip of cloth or rope to tie a tourniquet at the upper end of the limb with the snakebite.

It is worth noting that people are not advised to use their mouth to suck venom from the bite. Instead, they should wash the bite with clean water or cold drinking water.

The most important thing after getting bitten by a snake is to get to a hospital for treatment, said the doctor.