[Benoni AH 06 April 2012 19:00]
A 28 year old man was bitten by a snake as he was walking around a smallholding in Benoni this evening. The man said he probably stepped on the snake while he was walking and it wrapped around his leg. He said that the snake was fairly sluggish, presumably due to the recent cold spells in the area. The patient also said that the snake may have been a Rinkhals.
Paramedics were called to the scene on the presumption that he had been bitten by the snake, and they assessed his lower legs. There had been evidence of a bite but the severity and penetration of the bite was not yet know. They treated the man according to the symptoms that were found and they monitored him closely in order to treat further symptoms as they appeared with the possible toxin spread through the blood stream.
The man was taken to the Far East Rand hospital and was handed over in a stable condition to hospital staff. His condition remained stable throughout and he would be further monitored at the medical facility and treated accordingly.
Vanessa Jackson, ER24