Girl saved from viper bite after basketball practice

A 13-year-old girl who was bitten by a poisonous snake that caused a severe allergic reaction was saved on Monday night at Kaplan Medical Center in Rehovot.

The girl, Ziv Greenberg – a talented basketball player – was coming back home from sports practice when the viper bit her right leg.

Her blood pressure dropped dangerously and she was vomiting when she reached the emergency room. Doctors who succeeded in stabilizing her condition told the girl that the incident would not affect her leg movement and that she would soon be able to resume training.

Dr. Eli Shapiro, deputy head of the pediatric intensive care unit, said Greenberg went into anaphylactic shock from the bite and needed urgent lifesaving measures including injections of adrenaline.

Returning from basketball practice, Ziv walked on a bicycle path when the snake came out from bushes and bit her.”

She called for help, but when no one answered she ran home. Her brother called an ambulance in time. If she had waited half an hour, the case could have ended very badly, the doctors said.

Shapira said the viper bite was poisonous but that Greenberg’s severe allergic reaction was no less dangerous. In addition to serum against the toxin, she was treated for the allergy.

The snake was apparently moving to the spot it chose for hibernation through the winter.

In any case, said Shapira, if someone is bitten by a snake, he should be taken immediately to an emergency room.