According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 80,000 to 140,000 people die each year from snake bites, an average of 200 people die every day. In Vietnam alone, 30,000 people are bitten by poisonous snakes each year and the trend is increasing. People most likely to be bitten by snakes are people who work in the garden or the forest and often come into contact with trees and bushes.

If not handled promptly and properly, the victim is likely to experience dangerous complications. The incision and sucking of blood and venom that we often see in movies or people’s experiences only makes the wound more serious. Therefore, proper first aid skills for snake bites, keeping the bitten position still and taking the victim to the hospital immediately are very important.

Types of poisonous snakes in Vietnam

Vietnam is home to nearly 200 species of snakes, of which 53 species of venomous snakes mainly belong to the two families of Green snakes and Tiger snakes. Many snake species have venom that can kill humans after only a short time. Therefore, determining which bite is caused by a poisonous snake is extremely important. This will help the victim have the correct, safe and timely treatment.

Vietnam has many different types of snakes in mountainous, rural and coastal areas. Not all snakes are venomous, but some venomous snakes kill people every year. Different snake species have venom that causes different reactions in each victim’s body.

Shallow scorpion

Shallow scorpion

Snake garter

Snake garter

For example, snakes with black and yellow rings, and snakes with black, white, and gray rings are often found in Vietnam and can cause shortness of breath and blurred vision, and after these signs appear, the situation will change. The victim quickly deteriorated.

Viper Snake

Viper Snake

Other snake species such as Vipers are quite common in the jungles of Vietnam. Their venom often causes nausea, vomiting and eventually leads to kidney failure.

If you come across a snake, it’s best to stay away from it. Snakes don’t want to attack you, if you walk away they will leave, but if you step on or are bitten by a snake, you cannot know whether the snake will spit venom at you or not. You will need proper first aid and then quickly go to the hospital.

How to treat common SAI snake bites

  • Some ways people used in the past to treat snakebites, including incision and suction, were incorrect. Making incisions and suctioning does not help the victim because you can only suck out a very small amount of venom. But incision and suction can make matters worse for the victim because in most cases, when a snake bites injecting venom, the venom does not immediately enter the bloodstream, it still lies under the skin, in the lymphatic system. Therefore, if you give first aid by incision and suction, you can make the venom enter the bloodstream faster.
  • Some people try to apply a tourniquet above the base of the limb to prevent blood from circulating throughout the limb. With the thought of doing so to prevent the venom from entering the bloodstream, preventing it from flowing to the heart, causing the heart to stop beating, causing death. In reality, this process usually does not take place immediately after a snake bite because the venom usually does not enter the bloodstream but remains in the lymphatic system. Cutting off the entire blood supply to the limb will cause more discomfort to the victim and is not good for the victim.

How to give CORRECT first aid treatment when bitten by a snake

Help the victim calm down

When bitten by a snake, it is extremely important that we help the victim calm down. The victim has pain in the area around the bite area, we need to reassure and help the victim calm down. Then, we need to make sure that if the snake injects venom, the venom stays in place where the snake bites.

Apply pressure to the bite

It is vital to keep the victim from moving the bitten area and the whole body to limit the movement of venom. Use an elastic bandage to apply a little pressure right at the bite site to keep the venom there. The first elastic bandage needs to be wrapped around the bite site where the venom may be to keep it in place. This wrapping does not need to be too tight, because we do not need to cut off the blood supply to this limb.

Immobilize the bitten limb and the whole body

Now we need to find something to help stabilize and straighten this snake-bitten leg. We can find a tree branch or a straight splint to help stabilize the victim’s leg. You can use a splint on the victim’s entire leg. If you wrap this branch directly around the victim’s leg, it will be painful or uncomfortable, so you can use a towel or soft cloth to wrap it around the branch first and then use an elastic bandage to wrap and press the branch along the leg.

Bandage from below, right at the bite site, gradually upward to stabilize and straighten the victim’s legs, preventing them from moving. We can use many elastic bandages to wrap. For children, one elastic bandage may be enough, but for adults, 2 to 3 elastic bandages are usually needed to cover the entire limb. Note that when wrapping the splint, you do not need to wrap it tightly, because the goal is to fix the splint tree branch to the leg, limiting the leg’s movement.

Then carry the victim on a stretcher and take him to the hospital. At the hospital, doctors will analyze the type of snake bite and give the victim antivenom serum.

>>> Watch video instructions on how to treat snake bites

>>> See instructions on how to handle snake bites through the SSVN First Aid app

Some very important notes when handling snake bites

  • Do not try to catch the snake. If you can take a picture or remember the snake’s appearance, it will help the doctor identify the snake more accurately. But this is not so important. If you try to catch the snake, you risk being bitten by the snake and you cannot help anyone else if you also become a victim.
  • In most snake bites, not much venom is injected into the victim’s body because in most cases, the snake does not intentionally kill the victim. Snakes just want to escape unless you threaten them or attack their nest. Normally, snakes only bite quickly to escape, without having time to linger to inject venom into the victim. Therefore, most snake bites are not venomous. However, in all cases of snake bites, we do not know whether venom was injected or not, so first aid is needed by immobilizing and immobilizing the entire bitten limb to ensure that if there is venom, it does not move quickly. .
  • Every year Vietnam has thousands of cases of snake bites. In many cases, the only sign the victim feels is pain at the place where the snake bitten because there are two puncture marks caused by the snake’s teeth. This area also poses a risk of subsequent infection if first aid and proper treatment are not provided.
  • The venom may not produce any reaction in the victim’s body until 1-2 hours after the snake bite. Or it can also cause an immediate reaction depending on the type of snake and the amount of venom injected. Signs may start with nausea and a rapid heartbeat. Whether there are signs or symptoms or not, the most important thing is to give first aid, not let the victim and the venom move, immobilize the bitten part and this slows down the movement of the venom in the body.

Therefore, the most important first aid for a snakebite victim is to wrap an elastic bandage around the bite site to keep the venom in place, and the victim must absolutely not move or move. Hold the venom in place with an elastic bandage, applying pressure and immobilization to the entire limb.

You can participate in online learning or practice first aid operations for people bitten by snakes at SSVN Survival Skills, detailed information and registration at: elearning.survivalskills.vn