Queenslanders have been warned to watch their step following a spate of snake bites which have led to emergency medevacs by the RACQ CareFlight helicopter.
Recently, a young girl was airlifted from Tara to Toowoomba Hospital with a suspected snake bite. A few days earlier, a Taroom woman was also flown to Toowoomba after being bitten.
In a typical year RACQ CareFlight Rescue airlifts about five people suffering snake bites. However, six people have already been airlifted in the past few weeks in a bad start to snake season.
In December, CareFlight’s crew airlifted a two-year-old boy from Sundown National Park near Texas after a suspected snake bite.
The service also airlifted bite victims from Tara, Chinchilla and Warwick, flying each patient to Toowoomba for lifesaving treatment.
People who suspect they may have been bitten by a snake should look out for signs such as pain, nausea, numbness, tingling around the mouth and dizziness.
There are three basic concepts to remember if bitten;
1. Move away from the snake and make sure the area is safe
2. Stay as calm as possible and limit body movements to prevent the venom spreading
3. Use a bandage or a shirt to compress the bite, wrapping it tightly from the bite area to the top of the affected limb and call emergency services immediately.
