25 Tips on How to Prevent, Care and Manage Snake Bite
The prevention, care, and management of snakebite is a must-know for any safety and health-conscious farmer.
One of the occupational hazards you are exposed to as a farmer is a danger posed by a snakebite.
Most especially when your farm is located in the countryside with a lot of surrounding bushes and vegetation.
A poisonous snake has two need sharp fangs or teeth, one on each side of the upper jaw.
At the root of the fang, there is a poison gland. When the snake strikes, it jabs downward, hitting the skin with its fangs and immediately releasing a few drops of venom.
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The three major families of venomous snakes are the:
- The Viperidae
- The Hydrophidae
Elapidae comprises of the cobra, king cobra, krait, and coral snake
Viperidae includes the vipers
Hydrophidae are the sea snakes
Whether you keep ruminants animals, poultry or you grow crops. We have lost count of the number of times we’ve to chase or kill snakes on our farm and property.
Poultry feeds, animal concentrates and feeds and eggs attract small insects and rodents that are animals of prey for snakes.
These imply that you are constantly exposed to dangerous reptiles such as a snake.
Understanding the prevention, care, and management of snakebite is one of the important prerequisites for any health and safety-conscious farmer.
The following tips on the care and management of snakebite will greatly help you in case you fall victim to a snake bite.
- Move a distance away from the snake to avoid a second strike even snakes that appear to be dead are seriously dangerous, stay clear from them.
- Try to identify the species, color, and shape of the snake this will greatly help in the care and management of the snake bite.
- Keep yourself calm, avoid excitement. Reduce body activities by being still and calm these will help slow the spread of venom.
- One of the effective ways in the prevention, care, and management of snakebite is to Keep the victim lying down, with the affected limb a little lower than the rest of the body.
- The best prevention, care, and management of snakebite is to take the victim to a doctor as soon as possible any delay is extremely dangerous.
- Never give alcohol and caffeine, this only spreads the poison through the body more quickly.
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- Lyophilized anti-snake venom serum. Health authorities in most countries provide anti-venom to neutralize the poison of the snake. Your doctor will know where to obtain this, follow the directions carefully.
- Children require much larger doses than adults. The reason for this is that the smaller and lighter the body of the victim the higher the concentration of the poison.
- If necessary, inject four or five ampoules of antivenene into the muscles around the area of the bite.
- In the prevention, care, and management of snakebite, it is wise to give some antivenene also in the vein, so that wherever the snake poison travels in the body, the antivenene will quickly neutralize its effect.
- Tetanus antitoxin should be given to all snakebite victims.
- Keep the victim quiet. With proper care, most of these cases seem to make a good recovery.
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- Use airtight containers to store your grains and animal feed to discourage rodents. And animals of prey to snakes around your property.
- You can use snake repellent where applicable.
- Clear the surrounding bushes and vegetation around your farm and property by keeping them low.
- Block all holes on the walls and floor of your farm and property made by rats with cement and concrete.
- Snakes usually bite in self-defense most especially when you pop up or ran into them, intentionally or unintentionally. Exercise great caution when walking in snakes prone areas.
- Avoid walking in the dark or dark places with thick bushes, watch where you walk.
- The use of floodlights and security lights to brighten your farm and property at night is effective in the prevention, care, and management of snakebite.
- Never put your hands into any hole without knowing what is in it.
- When on the farm, or walking in the bush always wear high boots or protective footwear. Especially in areas where snakes are known to live.
- Young children should be taught about dangerous animals including snakes.
- Educate your children on the dangers of handling snakes and other reptiles.
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- For effective prevention, care, and management of snakebite, always avoid using bare hands when working on your farms.
- Always wear safety goggles in case of spitting copra, in cobra endemic areas.