2 kids, 2 soldiers suffer snakebites in North

By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
Snakebite victims continue to arrive at hospital emergency rooms throughout northern Israel. Over the weekend, four snakes bit two children and two soldiers, all of whom were treated at Ziv Medical Center in Safed. An 11.5-year-old girl from Moshav Dalton was bitten on her foot while playing sports on an outdoor field. sports field. She didn't even see the snake, and only when she was brought to Ziv did the medical team diagnose her case as a snakebite. She is hospitalized in the pediatrics department in good condition. A 17.5-year-old youth from Beit Jann was bitten on his foot by a snake while working in the fields. His family caught the snake and brought it to the emergency room to make sure the species was identified. He was treated, and his condition is good. On Shabbat, two soldiers who were bitten by snakes while on duty at two different bases in the Golan Heights were rushed to Ziv. One was bitten on a finger and the other at his wrist. They both arrived at the hospital in serious condition, but have since been stabilized. Dr. Anthony Louder, head of pediatrics at Ziv, said the first signs of snakebite are a sharp or burning pain, followed by swelling. A bite can also be accompanied by nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, weakness and lower blood pressure. Later, hemorrhage, infection and necrosis may appear along with clotting problems, intestinal bleeding, renal failure and loss of consciousness. Snakebite victims must be rushed to an emergency room, and are cautioned not to move after the bite lest the venom spread through the body, not to cut the skin around the bite, and not to suck out the venom, Louder said.