November 12, 2014
A South Burnett woman aged in her 40s is the seventh snake-bite patient to be airlifted by RACQ CareFlight Rescue in just nine weeks.
It is believed the woman was cleaning out a shed late yesterday afternoon when she moved a washing machine and felt something sting her finger.
Reports suggest the woman spotted a snake in the vicinity but could not identify the species.
It is believed the woman’s husband then sighted another snake at the residence while seeking help.
The Toowoomba-based RACQ CareFlight Rescue helicopter was called to retrieve the patient from Dalby Hospital.
She was taken to Toowoomba Base Hospital in a stable condition.
Since the beginning of spring, CareFlight has treated and airlifted six other patients with suspected snakebites.
On September 7, a young teenager riding a trail bike felt a stinging sensation on his leg and thought he saw a snake.
His father took him to hospital, where test results came back positive for a brown snake. The Toowoomba crew airlifted the boy from Millmerran Hospital to Toowoomba Base Hospital in a stable condition.
On October 9, a 10-year-old boy was airlifted from Warwick Hospital to the Mater Children’s Hospital after a snake bite.
Just five days later, a 20-year-old woman was airlifted to Hervey Bay Hospital after a suspected snake bite on Fraser Island.
On October 20, a young boy was bitten by a brown snake in Toowoomba, requiring an urgent flight to Toowoomba Base Hospital.
On October 27, a young girl was airlifted by RACQ CareFlight Rescue after she was thought to be bitten by a snake at a property at Tara in the Darling Downs region.
A day later, a woman was airlifted after a suspected snake bite on a property north-west of Texas.
CareFlight doctors urge people who suspect they have been bitten by a snake to stay calm and immediately call triple zero.
It’s important to limit body movements to prevent the venom spreading and use a bandage to compress the bite, wrapping it tightly down the affected limb.
