Jul 20, 2022 06:46 AM
(This post was last modified: Jul 20, 2022 06:50 AM by C C.)
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/958804
INTRO: Exotic snakebites recorded in the UK have “soared” over the course of a decade, as numbers of the exotic pet increase – a peer-reviewed study in Clinical Toxicology reveals.
In 11-years, 300 patients with exotic snakebite were registered by the UK National Poisons Information Service (NPIS). This included 72 children aged 17 years or under and among those, 13 were aged just 5 years or less. No children had severe injuries.
Nine patients were bitten twice and one patient, some three times.
The new study, which comprised of an audit of enquiries registered by the NPIS between 2009 and 2020 by experts from leading institutions across the UK, shows a total of 321 exotic snakebites from 68 different species.
Of those bitten, 15 had severe symptoms. This included a reptile conservationist who had previously survived a bite from an eastern green mamba but died after being bitten by a king cobra.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) considers more than 250 species of poisonous snake worldwide as medically important – most native to Asia, Africa, Latin America and Oceania. But the possibility of encountering these dangerous species is no longer limited by geography. In recent years, snake ownership has increased in popularity in the UK. It is estimated that around one in 100 households now own a pet snake... (MORE - details)
INTRO: Exotic snakebites recorded in the UK have “soared” over the course of a decade, as numbers of the exotic pet increase – a peer-reviewed study in Clinical Toxicology reveals.
In 11-years, 300 patients with exotic snakebite were registered by the UK National Poisons Information Service (NPIS). This included 72 children aged 17 years or under and among those, 13 were aged just 5 years or less. No children had severe injuries.
Nine patients were bitten twice and one patient, some three times.
The new study, which comprised of an audit of enquiries registered by the NPIS between 2009 and 2020 by experts from leading institutions across the UK, shows a total of 321 exotic snakebites from 68 different species.
Of those bitten, 15 had severe symptoms. This included a reptile conservationist who had previously survived a bite from an eastern green mamba but died after being bitten by a king cobra.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) considers more than 250 species of poisonous snake worldwide as medically important – most native to Asia, Africa, Latin America and Oceania. But the possibility of encountering these dangerous species is no longer limited by geography. In recent years, snake ownership has increased in popularity in the UK. It is estimated that around one in 100 households now own a pet snake... (MORE - details)