Summer is the season when snakes and insects are active, and we need to be extra careful to prevent accidents, whether we are outdoors or in the garden at home. Snake bites can not only cause physical pain, but can also cause serious health problems and even be life-threatening. Therefore, it is essential to know the knowledge of snake bite prevention. In this episode, we will talk about this topic.
Online big doctor: Wang Shijun
The People's Hospital Affiliated to Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Fujian Provincial People's Hospital Snake Wound Treatment Center
Deputy Director of the Department, Chief Physician, Associate Professor, Master's Supervisor
Topic of this issue: Snake infestation in summer, snake bite prevention safety guide
What to do if you are bitten by a snake
Stay away from the bite and call for help: Once you are bitten by a snake, you should first try to stay away from the bite site to prevent further injury. In the meantime, call the emergency number 120 or go to the hospital for help as soon as possible.
Determine the type of bite: Looking at the shape of the wound, venomous snake bites usually have two large tooth marks, while non-venomous snake bites will have small, neatly jagged tooth marks. If the venom of a snake cannot be accurately determined, first aid should be given according to the treatment method for venomous snake bites.
Stay calm and prevent the spread of the toxin: After a bite, stay calm and try to keep the wound below the level of your heart to slow the spread of the toxin. Avoid strenuous exercise or panic, which may accelerate the absorption and spread of toxins.
Wound management: Tie the wound with ropes, strips of cloth, etc. at about 5-10 cm at the proximal end of the wound to stop the return of venous blood and lymphatic fluid. However, it is necessary to pay attention to release every 15-20 minutes to avoid affecting blood circulation and causing tissue necrosis. Rinse the wound and surrounding skin repeatedly with water, tap water, soapy water, or 0.1% potassium permanganate solution. When conditions permit, the injured limb can be soaked in ice cubes or cold spring water to reduce the activity of enzymes in the toxin.
Professional treatment: Go to a hospital with the ability to treat snake wounds for professional diagnosis and treatment as soon as possible. Depending on the situation, the doctor will give comprehensive treatment such as antivenom.
Please note that the above steps are for reference only and should be handled flexibly on a case-by-case basis.
How to prevent venomous snake bites
Avoid contact with snakes:
Be vigilant in areas where snakes may be present and try to stay away from these areas.
Avoid outdoor activities at night or early in the morning, as this is the peak time for venomous snake activity.
Wear appropriate protective gear:
In high-risk areas or during activities, it is recommended to wear long-sleeved clothing, long pants and sturdy shoes, and tuck the cuffs into socks to prevent snakes from crawling through the gaps.
Wear breathable shoes and clothing to stay comfortable and reduce the risk of being bitten by a snake.
Leverage tools to pronoop:
When walking on mountain shrubs, weedy woodlands, or field paths, use sticks or long poles to hit the suspected places where snakes are hiding, so as to "scare the snakes".
Use lights when you go out at night to spot and avoid snakes.
Environmental Management & Food Storage:
Eradicate weeds, clear rocks, block holes in walls and trees, etc., to reduce the number of places where venomous snakes can hide.
When camping in the wild, choose an open site to set up a tent and make sure that food is kept inside the tent as much as possible to reduce the risk of attracting venomous snakes.
Learn to recognize venomous snakes:
Learn about the common venomous snake species and their characteristics in the area so that you can identify and avoid them in time when you are outdoors.
Emergency Handling Knowledge:
Learn the basic emergency treatment knowledge after a venomous snake bite, such as observing the type of snake and quickly ligating the wound, so that you can take quick measures to reduce the damage in the unfortunate event of a bite.
How to prevent it in summer
Poisonous insect bites
Beware 1: Wasp non-bee bites can be fatal
Wasps, also known as "wasps", "wasps" or "wasps". When hornets are attacked or disturbed by unfriendly disturbances, they will attack in groups, which can cause allergic and toxic reactions in humans, and in severe cases, death.
People with allergies can quickly develop anaphylactic shock phenomena such as swollen face and eyelids, urticaria, laryngeal edema, abdominal pain and diarrhea, dyspnea, blood pressure drop, confusion, and eventually death due to respiratory and circulatory failure.
Beware of 2: Centipede and scorpion bites are also troublesome
Centipedes and scorpions are highly venomous, and being stung by centipedes may not be fatal, but scorpions are more dangerous and may be fatal. Both should not be underestimated.
Beware 3: The pathogen of scrub worms can be lethal when transmitted to humans
Summer is the season when scrub typhus is at its highest. Because after the scrub worm eggs hatch into larvae, crawl to the grass or crops, once someone sits or lies down or touches, the scrub larvae crawl to the human body and bite, and after the pathogen enters the bloodstream, rickettsial blood and toxemia symptoms appear, resulting in a series of lesions in the body.
Beware 4: Ticks can kill if they suck blood
The ticks that burrow into the human body must be removed in time, otherwise the patient will be itchy and unbearable in rainy weather; In severe cases, high fever does not go away, deep coma, convulsions, causing forest encephalitis; The most serious consequences can be the loss of labour and even life.
Four steps for emergency treatment of poisonous insect stings
1. Pull out the stinger with tweezers or use transparent glue to squeeze out the venom and dirty blood, if it is a tick, do not press the bitten part.
2. Wash the wound with alkaline liquid (soapy water, baking soda) or water or tea.
3. Take measures to prevent toxin absorption as soon as possible, such as ligation to stop bleeding, it should be noted that the tourniquet should be relaxed for 1~2 minutes every 15~20 minutes.
4. Evacuate to the hospital for treatment as soon as possible.
Disclaimer
This article aims to popularize health science, to help you understand diseases and medications, the content of popular science can not replace the doctor's diagnosis and treatment opinions, for reference only, if you have related health problems, please consult a doctor in time.
Introduced by the doctor
Wang Shijun
Chief Physician, Associate Professor, Master's Supervisor, Deputy Secretary-General of the Asian Snake Wound Association, the first batch of young and middle-aged health leaders in Fujian Province, Vice Chairman of the Snake Bite and Snake Venom of the Surgical Branch of the China Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Vice Chairman of the Snake Wound Branch of the Chinese Association of Ethnic Medicine, Chairman of the Burn Branch of the Fujian Association of Integrative Traditional and Western Medicine, and Standing Committee Member of the Surgical Branch of the Fujian Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine. He specializes in the integrated diagnosis and treatment of poisonous snake (poisonous insect) bites, various refractory ulcers, vasculature (varicose veins of the lower limbs, arteriosclerosis occlusive of the lower limbs, diabetic foot), burns and other diseases.