Snakes head for town as drought bites
January 18 2007 at 04:18PM
Sydney - Three people have died from snakebites in Australia as a harsh drought drives venomous reptiles into urban areas, officials and experts warned on Thursday.
More people could be bitten as increasing numbers of snakes move into residential and business areas in search of moisture, Victoria state health minister Bronwyn Pike said.
"If you see a snake, don't go near it, and if you do unfortunately happen to be bitten by a snake, make sure you get urgent medical attention as soon as possible," Pike said.
"In the intervening time, stay calm, apply a pressure bandage and then, hopefully, we won't have any of the tragic consequences we've seen most recently."
A teenager bitten in the country's most populous city Sydney last week staggered onto a suburban cricket ground before collapsing and being rushed to hospital, where he died.
The 16-year-old boy was one of three people bitten by snakes in the past week and one of three killed by eastern brown snakes, considered to be among the world's deadliest, this southern hemisphere summer.
"Across Australia we're seeing far more snakebites than we have had for many years," George Braitberg, co-director of a statewide toxicology centre at Austin Hospital, told the national AAP news agency.
"The message still remains that people can die in this country from snakebite even in the 21st century," said Australian Venom Research Unit director Ken Winkel. - Sapa-AFP
- Edited by pippa on 20.01.2007, 17:52 -
