DAILY NEWS (Durban, S Africa) 12 January 10 Boy survives after snake bite (Irene Kuppan)

A day after he was bitten by a snake, a three-year-old boy was still being treated with anti-venom in hospital.

The boy, from Kelso on the South Coast, apparently fell off his bicycle and onto the snake, which bit him.

Yesterday the boy's father, who was named only as Mr Schaefer, said his son was in a stable condition.

After being treated at Kingsway Hospital, the boy was taken to St Augustine's Hospital and later to Parklands Hospital, where he is now being treated.

Schaefer was still uncertain what type of snake had bitten his son, but suspected it was a Mozambique spitting cobra.

Arno Naude, a snake expert and the chairman of the Transvaal Herpetological Association, said the cobra's venom destroys cell tissue and breaks down muscle, making its bite very dangerous.

Bite symptoms include an immediate burning sensation in the affected area, a metallic taste in the mouth and dizziness, which follows about 15 minutes after being bitten. Swelling occurs and blisters form.

"One of the dangers with the Mozambique spitting cobra is that it also has neuro-toxic venom, which affects the nervous system and could slow down breathing."

Naude said this type of cobra was very common in southern Africa, especially in wet areas, and was found in KwaZulu-Natal, Swaziland and Mozambique.

"It is probably the snake that people are most often bitten by in Swaziland," he said.

At an average length of 1 to 1,2 metres, the cobra is also able to spit its venom, which could cause blindness if it enters the eyes of its victims, Naude said.

However, if the venom is rinsed out immediately and the eyes treated correctly, blindness would not be permanent.
Boy survives after snake bite

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