Snakes slithering out this summer; safety tips for snake bites
Danyelle Burke North
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – Snakes are slithering out this summer. With snake activity predicted to rise during the summer months, local healthcare leaders are encouraging the community to stay alert and prepared.
“In general, if you’re going outside or hiking, try to stick to daytime hours when the sun’s out,” said Onvida emergency medicine physician Dr. Casey Noroyan. “We do see increase activity, especially in snakes kind of around the nighttime.”
When working or hiking outdoors, Dr. Nooryan says try to avoid tall grass and piles of logs and wear proper clothing.
“Wearing long pants, a long pair of socks and boots, this will help protect your ankle and kind of lower leg area,” said Noroyan.
But if you are bitten by a snake, the first step is to get to a safe area and quickly seek help.
“All of this is very time sensitive, so the quicker you can seek help and get the antivenom, if it’s indicated in your case, the better off,” said Noroyan.
He recommends to keep the area stable without moving around too much to help decrease the spread of venom.
One common question they receive is if it’s okay to suck the venom out.
“I would say in general, this is not a safe practice. It can actually cause more damage to the area. It can introduce new infection, and it can cause toxicity to the surrounding tissue,” said Noroyan.