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14-04-2021, 03:45 #1
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African bush viper bites zoo worker
This snake sounds like a bad customer. Is it true there isn't any anti-v for this one?
https://www.foxnews.com/us/san-diego...h-no-antivenom
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14-04-2021, 06:23 #2
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Re: African bush viper bites zoo worker
Bites from A. squamigera have resulted in at least one report of severe hematological complications[14] as well as two deaths. Although no specific antivenom is made for the genus Atheris, antivenom for the genus Echis has been shown to be partially effective in neutralizing Atheris venom.
From Wikipedia
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14-04-2021, 08:29 #3
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Re: African bush viper bites zoo worker
Most snake bites are treated symptomatically, in this case they know the exact snake so they might use it but anti-venom has serious side-effects.
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14-04-2021, 11:38 #4
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Re: African bush viper bites zoo worker
This is a very pretty snake and is popular in collections but in comparison with keeping a rattler in SA it does not compare. Last I heard there is one facility in SA that has rattler anti-venom but rattlers are plentiful in SA, and cheap...R400 . Same goes for the Moccasin, cheap and plentiful.
Bodhi is right, these guys are treated symptomatically and I think I heard the one death caused by Squamigera was a 6 year old kid so- if true- it is not that bad. In this case the person would probably get a rabies injection, pain killers, some anti-biotics and a sling for the clever hand.
Many snakes more dangerous have been treated like this, if the swelling does not advance past a certain point within a certain period it is not considered worth it to do the expensive anti-venom treatment.
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14-04-2021, 12:05 #5
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14-04-2021, 12:15 #6
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14-04-2021, 14:52 #7
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14-04-2021, 19:29 #8
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14-04-2021, 21:48 #9
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Re: African bush viper bites zoo worker
I made a mistake, it would have been a tetanus shot and the swelling advice is for hemotoxic bites. I do not know how they guage or if they guage neurotoxic bites before giving anti-venom but from what I hear giving it earlier has a much greater effect.
Doctors in my area, even the SADF ones don't see bites often and they end up calling the Tygerberg Poison Information Centre.
From there all I can say is that you get some really great guys who know their stuff but a diploma is not necessarily one of their praises.
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14-04-2021, 22:31 #10
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