DAILY NEWS (Durban, S Africa) 20 December 06 Teen bitten by snake fully recovered (Bhavna Sookha)
Durban's latest snake bite victim has fully recovered after she was bitten in her garden in Queensburgh last week.
Even though it is unknown what type of snake bit the 13-year-old, she was rushed to the Malvern Medical Centre where she was kept under observation for hours before being sent home.
Frans van Wijk explained how he was at home last week when his daughter, Crystal, ran to him complaining that she wasn't feeling well and might have been bitten by something while running outside in their garden.
Van Wijk said that when Crystal showed him her leg, he saw a snake bite puncture on her knee.
"She had been running out in the garden and when she came in she complained about a burning sensation in her leg," he said.
"I saw the bite marks and immediately went out to the garden to check if the snake was still there.
"I then performed basic first aid by covering the bite mark with a bandage before I called in a friend, Rowan Mattig, who is a snake expert."
By this time Crystal was starting to feel dizzy, nauseous and her tongue was starting to feel numb.
"My dad's friend arrived and they bandaged my whole leg and took me to the Malvern Medical Centre.
"I was shocked because I didn't even know that I had been bitten until I felt my leg starting to itch," she said.
"I was feeling very dizzy and it was hard for me to talk because my tongue was feeling numb."
"After we got to the medical centre they monitored Crystal for four hours and treated the symptoms as they occurred," said Van Wijk.
"When we took her home her leg had swollen up a little and she was up the whole night with a headache. She also looked very pale like someone who had just fainted."
He said they often found snakes in their garden as they live near the Rietfontein Nature Reserve.
Van Wijk, who has been living in the area for the past five years, said they saw at least one snake a week, but this was the first time one of his children had been bitten.
Durbanites have been warned to keep an eye out for snakes as they are more active at this time of the year because of the hot weather.

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