What to do with a viper bite?

What's a viper?

A viper is one of the few snakes in Belgium and the Netherlands. They like sheltered places with open plains for sunbathing and are recognizable by their zigzag pattern, short tail and triangular head.

What's the viper for?

• Belgium: Especially in remains of large heathlands with lots of shelter and open spaces.
• Netherlands: On the high sandy soils in Drenthe, Friesland, Overijssel and Limburg.

The bite of a viper

In the case of an adder bite, poison that penetrates deep into the tissues via blood can be released. The poison contains several substances that make the bite dangerous. Symptoms usually occur around the bites site and may range from redness and swelling to tissue damage and clotting. In very rare cases, a adderbite can be fatal (about one percent of bites).

Symptoms of a viper bite

Symptoms may occur immediately after the bite until several hours later:

• Red to dark purple discoloration of the skin
• Swelling around the bite
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Abdominal pain
• Diarrhoea
• Cardiac arrhythmias
• Low blood pressure
• Problems with blood clotting
• Respiratory problems
• Allergic reaction (itching, rapid breathing, shock)
• Feeling disorders in the affected limb
• Headache
• Sustenance and reduced consciousness
• Fit
• Decreased urine production
• Infection of the bite wound with possible tissue death

Most symptoms are rare and only occur in severe cases. Often, only the skin is affected locally.

What to do and what not to do with a viper bite

What can I do with a viper bite?

1. Stay calm: Panic accelerates blood flow and thus the spread of the poison.
2. Cleaning wound: First with water, then with disinfectant if available.
3. Keep body parts higher: Limit movement to slow down the toxin spread and reduce pain.
4. Remove jewelry and tight clothing: Avoid abstinence in case of swelling.
5. Take Paracetamol: Lighten the pain.
6. Cortisone in case of allergy: Slow down the allergic reaction.

What wouldn't happen to a viper bite?

• Do not drain or attach any toxin: The poison is deep in the tissue and narrowbands can cause tissue damage.
• Do not take anti-inflammatory medicines: These affect blood clotting and may be dangerous in combination with the poison.
• Do not use ice on the swelling: Ice can be harmful.

Hospital treatment

An adder bite is always treated in a hospital. Here you get cortisone and infusion therapy to maintain the circulation. In case of infection antibiotics are administered and pain medication is also started. An antiserum is given to neutralize the poison.

Hospitalisation

• Adults: One day observation.
• Children: Longer, because of their smaller body surface area and higher vulnerability.

Aftercare

After you leave the hospital, you have to come back for monitoring after a week. If you develop new symptoms, you must return to the hospital immediately.