Snake bites rise in Texas as people spend more time outside due to COVID-19
As the COVID-19 pandemic drives more people to participate in outdoor activities, doctors warn of a slight uptick in snake bites this summer.
Texas Health Resources facilities statewide have seen a total of 98 snake bite patients so far this summer between May and July, according to a press release. This isn’t much higher than last year’s average, but Dr. Glenn Hardesty, an emergency medicine physician at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Plano, wants to caution those engaging in increased outdoor activity to be alert.
There haven’t been any deaths recorded in Texas this year related to snake bites, and nationally, mortality rates are low. However, medical costs associated with bites can cost up to $100,000, Hardesty said.
The most common venomous snakes that bite people in North Texas are copperheads, cottonmouths and rattlesnakes. It’s also important to note that North Texas is home to the Texas rat snake, a non-venomous snake that controls the rodent population. Either way, people should avoid interaction with non-venomous and venomous snakes, doctors advise.
To get a break from working from home, people are going outdoors, where they are encountering more snakes.
“People are encountering more wildlife due to gardening, yard work, and walking outside to get a break from working at home,” Hardesty said in the release.
Hardesty said he’s had snake-bite patients who were gardening when they were bit and they didn’t know snakes were in their yard. He advises people to be aware of their surroundings.
Snakes seek warmth and are drawn to concrete to retain heat. Hiking trails, hedges and exterior crawl spaces give snakes plenty of options to hide in.
Hardesty said if a snake is encountered, let it be because they don’t want anything to do with humans. And whenever doing an outdoor activity, it is best to wear boots as most snakes bite at or below the ankle.
Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth has treated a total of 23 patients with snake bites since March.
According to the Texas Department of State Health Services about 7,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes in the United States each year, and about 1 in 500 venomous snake bites results in death. On average, one or two people in Texas die each year from venomous snakebites.
This story was originally published July 24, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
