MIAMI HERALD (Florida) 21 December 06 Boy improving after poisonous snakebite - A Coral Gables boy bitten Tuesday evening by a venomous coral snake is recovering at the hospital. (Rob Barry)
A Coral Gables boy bitten by a venomous coral snake was responding well to anti-venin treatment Wednesday, a Miami-Dade Fire Rescue spokesman said.
The boy, who is younger than 10, was bitten Tuesday evening when he reached into the bushes to retrieve a ball while playing with his brother in their back yard, spokesman Al Cruz said.
Bites by coral snakes are rare -- they account for about 2 percent of all snakebites in the United States -- and are extremely dangerous, Cruz said.
Their bites can be hard to recognize and at first appear similar to a nonvenomous snake.
''Normally when you get bit by a [venomous] snake, you're going to see pain, swelling, and discoloration immediately or close to 15 minutes after,'' Cruz said. ``With coral snakes, you have silent symptoms which can take up to 12 hours or greater. You're not going to see classic fangs because they have very little teeth.''
When they do appear, symptoms are similar to those suffered by stroke victims, and include difficulty swallowing, breathing and walking.
Because of the slow onset of symptoms, bites by coral snakes are sometimes left untreated. When that happens, Cruz said, the victim may end up on a respirator for weeks -- or worse.
''The end result is respiratory failure,'' Cruz said.
But because the boy was transported immediately to South Miami Hospital and given anti-venin treatment, he has not exhibited any symptoms, Cruz said.
''The family did the right thing by bringing him in right away,'' Cruz said.
The boy is recovering at Miami Children's Hospital.
About 50 bites by coral snakes a year occur in Florida, Cruz said.
Coral snakes are called tricolor snakes because of the red, yellow, and black bands that line the snake's body. According to www.wilderness-survival.net, the snake is a member of the cobra family, and is most common in Florida and other Gulf states, where it often makes its way into residential areas.
It is sometimes confused with the nonvenomous scarlet kingsnake. They do have have somewhat similar color patterns, although the kingsnake has a red snout while a Florida coral snake's snout is black, according to the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens website, www.jaxzoo.org.
''If somebody suspects they were bitten by a tricolored snake, the protocol is to treat them as if it were a coral snake,'' Cruz said.
Boy improving after poisonous snakebite