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# Stings and Bites | |
Venomous snake | |
Do not cut open a bite or sting or try to suck out the poison. Also, | |
tourniquets will not stop the spread of poisons from stings or bites, | |
but will cause serious harm. | |
Most bites and stings are painful but not dangerous, and even deadly | |
creatures do not usually inject enough venom to kill. Stay calm and | |
watch the bitten part. If there are no problems or if problems | |
improve after a few hours (depending on the creature) there is likely | |
nothing to worry about. Because children are small, the venom can | |
affect them and do more harm, so they may need more attention. | |
## Snake bites | |
* Move away from the snake. Some snakes can still bite for a few | |
minutes even after they are dead. | |
* Remove jewelry or clothes near the bite because the body may | |
swell. | |
* Keep the bitten part of the body below the heart. *Then keep | |
that body part still* by putting on a splint or sling. Using the | |
muscles spreads the poison. | |
* Gently clean the wound. Do not rub it. | |
* For most snakes, or if you do not know what type it was, watch | |
and wait for a few hours. If there is little or no swelling, pain, | |
or redness, there is no problem. Danger signs include severe | |
swelling or pain, drowsiness, droopy eyelids, dizziness, weakness, | |
nausea, or bleeding from the mouth or nose. | |
Ask the person to swish water in the mouth and spit in a | |
light-colored bowl. If the spit is pink or visibly bloody, the gums | |
are bleeding. This is a danger sign. | |
For these snakes, wrap the bitten area tightly: | |
* Coral snakes | |
* Mambas | |
* South American rattlesnakes | |
* Sea snakes | |
* Most cobras--the ones that cause damage throughout the whole | |
body. | |
Wrap tightly | |
Wrap tightly, but not too tightly | |
Wrap tight—to stop the spread of poison, but not so tight that you | |
cut off blood flow. Feel for a pulse under the wrapping on the top of | |
the foot. | |
Use a splint | |
Use a splint to keep the limb from moving. | |
Most vipers and some cobras harm the area near where they bite but do | |
not cause problems throughout the rest of the body. For these | |
snakes, do not wrap the bite. | |
For many poisonous snakes there is an antivenom that can help. If | |
you can get to medical help, describe the snake as well as you can so | |
the right antivenom is used. If possible, stock your medicine kit | |
with snake antivenom for the snakes common in your area before | |
emergencies happen. | |
Wash eyes | |
For spitting cobra venom in the eye: flush with a lot of water. If | |
you have no water, milk or beer can be used. Do not use strong | |
irritating chemicals. | |
Pythons and boas are not poisonous, but their bites can cause severe | |
skin infections. Watch the wound and if there are signs of | |
infection—increasing redness, heat, pain, swelling, bad smell or | |
pus--treat it as an infected wound. Occasionally these snakes cause | |
crush injuries by squeezing a person. | |
If the bite mark shows fangs, the snake is venomous. If there are no | |
fang marks, it is less likely that the snake is poisonous, but it | |
still could be. | |
## Spiders and scorpions | |
Spiders | |
Scorpions | |
Although they may hurt a lot, most spider bites and scorpion stings | |
do not cause serious or lasting harm. Keep the bitten part still and | |
use ice or cold water to relieve pain. Do not cut open the bite or | |
use a tourniquet or bandage. Heat does not help, but keeping still | |
does. | |
If you know the spider or scorpion is a deadly variety, or, if after | |
the bite or sting there are signs of problems such as: stomachache, | |
itching, sweating, and difficulty breathing, then get medical help. | |
There may be an antivenom. | |
For Black Widow spider bites or scorpion stings, you can give | |
diazepam on the way to prevent muscle spasms and calm the person. | |
medicines for anxiety | |
## Bees and wasps | |
After a sting, check if a stinger was left in the skin and remove it | |
as soon as possible. The area around the sting may get red, swollen | |
and painful. Putting a paste made with baking soda and water, or | |
something cold on the stung area, will help with the swelling and | |
pain. | |
Severe allergy to bee or wasp stings is rare, but can be deadly. See | |
information about signs and treatment of severe allergy. | |
bee allergy | |
## Ticks | |
A bite from a tick can spread many dangerous infections. Check your | |
body well after walking where ticks are common. To remove a tick | |
with tweezers, grasp the tick as close as possible to where its mouth | |
is stuck to the skin. Pull it out gently but firmly so that its head | |
does not remain under the skin. Burn the removed tick with a match | |
or kill it with alcohol, but try not to touch it. | |
## Fish and jellyfish | |
Jellyfish | |
Get away from jellyfish and scrape off any tentacles. Use seawater | |
to wash. For stinging fish, remove any spines with tweezers or | |
pliers. | |
Immerse the limb in hot water for 20 minutes to relieve pain, but | |
make sure it is not burning hot. This may work better for stinging | |
fish than for jellies. | |
There are many local remedies but they do not work for all fish or | |
jellyfish. For example, box jellyfish (sea wasp) stings are helped | |
by washing with vinegar. But vinegar makes the stings of other | |
jellyfish worse. Papaya or meat tenderizer is a well-known home | |
remedy for jellyfish stings but it does not seem to work for all | |
jellyfish and sometimes makes the pain worse. | |
Allow the person to use and move their limbs-unlike with snake and | |
spider bites, keeping still does not help. Get medical help if there | |
are problems breathing or other signs get worse. | |
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