Travel related bites and poisoning

Bites & Stings

• Snakes
• Spiders
• Scorpions
• Mammals
• Jelly fish and sea urchins
• Sharks

Venomous Spiders

• Brown Recluse
• Widow
• Funnel Web
• Tarantula

Venomous Snakes

Snake Bite First Aid

Do:

• Protect from further bite
• (safely try to identify snake)
• Cleanse (unless Venom Detection Kit)
• Remove constricting items
• Immobilize
• Transport

Do not:

• Apply tourniquet
• Incise / use
• suction
• Apply electric shock
• Add drugs / EtOH
• Get bitten

Do:

• Protect yourself from more bites by doing the following:
• If you’re looking for a (safely try to identify snake)
• Disinfect (unless Venom Detection Kit)
• Get rid of everything that restricts your movement.
• Immobilize
• Transport

Don’ts:

• Use a tourniquet.
• Use / incise
• Suction
• Use an electric shock
• Incorporate medicines / EtOH
• Become bitten

Snake Bite

PREVENTION

• DO NOT INTERFERE WITH THE BITE!
• Protective gear
• Good footwear
• Walking stick
• Flashlight
• Check your shoes
• Keep an eye on where you tread/reach!

Hazardous Marine Life

Sting

Coral, Anemone, Jellyfish

Puncture

Stingray, Spiny Fish, Urchin

Bite / Envenom

Octopus, Shark, Barracuda,Jellyfish

• Rinse with seawater (not fresh water)
• Immerse in HOT WATER: Immersion in hot water is preferable to ice.
• packs vs. ice packs for clinically
• symptomatic pain alleviation at 10 and 20 minutes (1 trial)
• Vinegar with 5% acetic acid: Vinegar is good for box jellyfish and their smaller cousins, Irukandji.
• Vinegar or Adolph’s meat tenderizer may
• make skin appear worse or encourage discharge and make the discomfort worse.

Sea Urchins

• Soak in HOT WATER
• Carefully remove embedded spines
• Shave to eliminate pedicellariae
• “Spine dye” could be misleading

Marine “Bites”

• Consider Vibrio & Aeromonas
• Species: Quinolone, Doxycycline, TMP-SMX
• Standard “trauma” care
• Infection and foreign body risk