Arizona Rattlesnakes are Active Now
This fellow RV'er got bit on the arm when he went to investigate a "strange" noise under his RV. We've had some unusually warm temperatures in Southern Arizona so far this winter, so be careful when ...
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http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=4931459&page=1
The victim experiences extreme pain at the location of the bite, nausea, sometimes diarrhea. Then the mouth and throat swell, making it difficult to breath. The victim gets lightheaded, collapses and goes into shock -- all within minutes of the strike.
The potentially deadly symptoms used to be fairly rare, but toxicologists in Arizona, Colorado and California say they're seeing some or all of them more than ever, and that they could be contributing to an increase in fatal rattlesnake bites in Arizona.
...
In each state, the snakes responsible for the bites have been different. It's the Southern Pacific Rattlesnake in California, the prairie rattlesnake in Colorado and the Mojave in Arizona.
In letters last week, Arizona authorities notified hundreds of physicians and emergency rooms of the extreme symptoms, which can be mistaken for other ailments and delay the injection of antivenin. Colorado and California authorities say they're taking a wait-and-see approach to the situation.
The victim experiences extreme pain at the location of the bite, nausea, sometimes diarrhea. Then the mouth and throat swell, making it difficult to breath. The victim gets lightheaded, collapses and goes into shock -- all within minutes of the strike.
The potentially deadly symptoms used to be fairly rare, but toxicologists in Arizona, Colorado and California say they're seeing some or all of them more than ever, and that they could be contributing to an increase in fatal rattlesnake bites in Arizona.
...
In each state, the snakes responsible for the bites have been different. It's the Southern Pacific Rattlesnake in California, the prairie rattlesnake in Colorado and the Mojave in Arizona.
In letters last week, Arizona authorities notified hundreds of physicians and emergency rooms of the extreme symptoms, which can be mistaken for other ailments and delay the injection of antivenin. Colorado and California authorities say they're taking a wait-and-see approach to the situation.
