SAN DIEGO – Rattlesnake season has arrived, and California residents should take steps to avoid getting bitten as severe reactions are becoming more common, a UC San Diego doctor cautioned Wednesday.
Most rattlesnake bites occur between April and October, with the greatest number in May, according to the California Poison Control System. “Over the past couple of years we have seen an increase in powerful snake bites and patient reactions to the bites have become more severe,” said Dr. Richard Clark, executive medical director for the CPCS and director of UCSD’s Division of Medical Toxicology.
“It is important for Californians to take extra precautions as they start to head outside, particularly with children and pets as their natural curiosity could create a deadly encounter with a rattlesnake,” he said. A rattlesnake bite can produce swelling and bruising and can be fatal, especially in children and pets, according to the CPCS.
8 year old Dane Moebius was bit while playing with his brother in the backyard of their aunt’s home in San Elijo Hills.
“It was very painful, I was crying for four hours straight,” said Moebius. Dane needed two doses of anti-venom to stop the pain and swelling in his arm.
“We were lucky, he didn’t have any nerve damage. He didn’t have to go to physical therapy but a lot of kids do,” said Dane’s father, Paul Moebius.
via Rattlesnake Season Arrives In San Diego County – San Diego 6.
