Snake Bites Can Be Deadly In The Philippines

[Medic Mike]

Yesterday a young man, third cousin of my wife and his parents were sponsors at our wedding died several days after getting a snake bite. He was a nice young man who had just graduated from a Baguio university with a degree in IT. I had met him several times. He received the snake bite in a remote area of the Cordillera mountains and may have survived if he had been given anti-venom. Unfortunately when he arrived at the hospital the doctors didn't think he had been bitten by a poisonous snake and would not give him the anti-venom even after his arm started swelling up badly.

 

This is just a caution for those of us who visit the province or go into more remote areas of the Philippines that there are poisonous snakes and their bite can be deadly.

 

Here is a link with information about poisonous snakes in the Philippines: http://usaphcapps.amedd.army.mil/HIOShoppingCart/Uploads/DownloadableProds/162_Philippine%20Snake%20Poster04-15-04.pdf

 

Here is a link to first aid instructions for a snake bite: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000031.htm

 

Here is a link to first aid equipment to remove poison from a snake bite: https://sawyer.com/products/extractor-pump-kit/

The instructions for first aid for a snake bite in this link are in-correct and very old school. 

[Medic Mike]

Australia has probably the biggest population of dangerous snakes. We deal with snake bites day in and day out with an evidence based medicine approach.

 

1. Restrict movement of patient

2. Do not wash bite site

3. Cover bite with dressing

4. Apply pressure immobilisation bandage down the limb

5. Apply another pressure immobilisation bandage than up the limb

6. Splint limb

7. Transport asap to hospital

[earthdome]

Australia has probably the biggest population of dangerous snakes. We deal with snake bites day in and day out with an evidence based medicine approach.

 

1. Restrict movement of patient

2. Do not wash bite site

3. Cover bite with dressing

4. Apply pressure immobilisation bandage down the limb

5. Apply another pressure immobilisation bandage than up the limb

6. Splint limb

7. Transport asap to hospital

I was hoping one of the resident medics would comment on this. Being ignorant of what a "pressure immobilisation bandage" is I searched it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pressure_immobilisation_technique

 

Thanks Mike

[Medic Mike]

 

Australia has probably the biggest population of dangerous snakes. We deal with snake bites day in and day out with an evidence based medicine approach.

 

1. Restrict movement of patient

2. Do not wash bite site

3. Cover bite with dressing

4. Apply pressure immobilisation bandage down the limb

5. Apply another pressure immobilisation bandage than up the limb

6. Splint limb

7. Transport asap to hospital

I was hoping one of the resident medics would comment on this. Being ignorant of what a "pressure immobilisation bandage" is I searched it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pressure_immobilisation_technique

 

Thanks Mike

 

My pleasure. :) By the way...I hate snakes....lol.

[Larry45]

Condolences to the family of the young man who passed, and it's a real shame the hospital wouldn't administer the anti-venom.  There was a 5-year old child in our town that died of a snake bite a few years ago.  Either through ignorance or apathy, none of the hospitals could tell the family exactly where the anti-venom was stored, and after four stops and finally locating it, it was just too late for treatment.  Probably a good idea to locate the stocks in your area, and not rely on the hospitals to be much help.

 

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/277428/5-year-old-killed-by-snake-bite-in-ormoc-city

[Thomas]

I'm probably giving too much thought to it. My kasintahan is in her 50's and told me she's never seen a snake in the wild in her life, city girl, lol.

  There aren't so many snakes if the locals like to eat them   :)

A Thai tale with much truth:

When a farang (=foreigner) see a snake, he run away scared.

When a thai see a snake, he run - to find a stick to kill the snake a with to get a delicious dinner  :lol:   

(Some snakes taste as chicken.) 

The OP's first link has habitat details. Most if not all of the venomous snakes have elevation limits.

Yes. A thai living rural, had built a hut at safe hight above the ground. If I remember corect she said 90 cm.  (But in that part of Thailand they don't have King Cobras. I believe they can BITE higher even IF they can't get in.) But of course build so the tree climbing snakes can't CLIMB in.

[earthdome]

Condolences to the family of the young man who passed, and it's a real shame the hospital wouldn't administer the anti-venom.  There was a 5-year old child in our town that died of a snake bite a few years ago.  Either through ignorance or apathy, none of the hospitals could tell the family exactly where the anti-venom was stored, and after four stops and finally locating it, it was just too late for treatment.  Probably a good idea to locate the stocks in your area, and not rely on the hospitals to be much help.

 

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/277428/5-year-old-killed-by-snake-bite-in-ormoc-city

 

Thanks. Come to find out the anti-venom was in Baguio. Fastest by land would be almost 12 hours to transport from Baguio. The young man was trying to earn some extra money so he could start on his Master's degree. Cutting out brush from a water canal at a gold mine. The snake (bright green, sounds like a pit viper) bit him on the hand between his fingers.

 

Last night got more bad news. The young man's great grandmother passed away. (Sister to my wife's grandmother) Then my wife told me that his grandfather had passed away a few months ago. The Philippines also has that saying that bad things come in three's.

 

This is so sad that a young man with so much potential lost his life this way.