DAILY TELEGRAPH (Sydney, Australia) 07 January 09 Snakebite boy saved after quick actions of stranger (Kate Sikora)
Three days ago Braeden Evans was gravely ill after being bitten by a brown snake while his parents stood by in a helpless panic.
The three-year-old was saved by the quick actions of a stranger, who applied compression bandages to the bite.
Doctors have warned parents to revise their first aid skills, saying many have forgotten the basics.
They blame a lack of first aid training and unrealistic scenes in movies for some people treating snake bites with outdated methods that can actually increase the chance of death.
Braeden was bitten by the deadly snake while on a camping trip at the Colo River on Sunday.
Yesterday his mother Claire said the only thing she had on hand to stop the flow of venom through her son's body was a swimming top - until a stranger came along.
"I was panicking and the hardest thing when a child has been bitten is to keep them calm and still," Mrs Evans said.
"(The stranger) wrapped the bandage up and down his arm and then around his waist so he couldn't move. I calmed down and lay with him on the ground. I just want to say a big thank you . . . we don't know who (the stranger) is."
Summer is danger season for the reptiles, which enjoy basking in the sun. But Children's Hospital, Westmead emergency physician Peter Ngo said that not all bites resulted in the victim being poisoned.
"I think people are seeing some things in the movies and thinking it is fact," Dr Ngo said.
"If (someone) gets bitten, it's important not to panic and to apply first aid immediately."
Sydney is home to brown snakes and red-bellied black snakes, while death adders and deadly tiger snakes frequent other regions.
Australian Reptile Park snake expert Craig Adams said people were bitten more in summer because they were outdoors more.
"Most snakes in our urban gardens are harmless but it's very hard to tell the difference, so you have to treat them as if they are dangerous," he said.
"With regard to young children, they are more at risk from a snake bite because they have small bodies - the venom is going to act more quickly. I would say that person who applied first aid saved that little boy's life."
An increase in the number of funnel-web spider bites has also been reported.
Snakebite boy saved after quick actions of stranger