A viper was photographed in Beliș, Cluj county.
“Beliș county Cluj / Is it a viper?”, asked a tourist on the Facebook group “Fauna Romania – Conservation through education”.
The specialists said that it is “a specimen of the berus viper”. “Every year I have seen a viper in Beliș, in recent years,” someone wrote.
Hikers should be wary of these snakes. Their bite can be fatal, writes Stiri de Cluj.
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The clinical manifestations of a viper bite depend on several factors: the amount of venom injected, the location of the bite, the victim’s state of health. The venom can cause both local and systemic (whole body) effects, rarely followed by death, with deaths occurring mainly in children (due to a higher dose of venom relative to weight) and the elderly.
Signs and symptoms of viper bite: local – traces of the bite, local edema (swelling), hemorrhagic blisters; systemic (general) – fever, sweating, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, lipothymia (fainting), difficulty breathing, chest pain, convulsions, coma, other neurological manifestations, hemorrhages, urticaria, anaphylactic shock (edema of the face, tongue , airways, breathing difficulties, shock – collapsed blood pressure, non-palpable peripheral pulse).
Classification of viper bites according to the degree of toxicity:
Grade 0 (no toxic reaction) – traces of the bite, no local edema (swelling).
Grade 1 (minimal toxic reaction) – local edema (swelling) around the bite, no systemic reaction.
Grade 2 (moderate toxic reaction) – edema of the entire bitten limb, minimal systemic reaction (vomiting, transient hypotension).
Grade 3 (severe toxic reaction) – edema rapidly extending to the trunk, shock, hemorrhage, or other systemic reactions.
First aid measures consist of:
Calming the patient, avoiding his unnecessary mobilization; he will be placed lying on his back (or in the safety side position, if unconscious) in a safe place, sheltered from a possible further snake attack;
Calling the Single Emergency Number 112 or the Salvamont National Dispatch – 0372126668, to announce the event and provide details on the victim’s condition and location (possibly GPS coordinates);
Clean the wound with hydrogen peroxide or clean water;
Any rings, bracelets or the like are removed from the bitten limb because, in the event of edema, their removal will be very difficult, and they will act as a tourniquet;
A bandage with an elastic bandage is applied proximal to the bite wound to slow down the spread of the venom via the lymphatics. The elastic bandage is removed only at the hospital, after administration of the antiviperine serum (if this is indicated). The bandage should not be applied too tightly, so as not to impede the arterial blood circulation, so that a finger can be inserted under the bandage;
DO NOT practice incisions or cauterization at the level of the bite, DO NOT “squeeze” the wound, DO NOT recommend applying ice or a tourniquet, DO NOT apply various substances or electric current to the wound, DO NOT try to capture the snake, DO NOT recommend the use of devices venom suction, DO NOT suck venom with the mouth;
The bitten limb is immobilized in a splint, to prevent muscle contractions that favor lymphatic circulation; that limb shall be kept in a neutral position or below the level of the heart and not above it;
Anaphylactic shock is treated urgently by administering Adrenaline, there are self-injection systems with intramuscular Adrenaline (Anapen, Epipen) in pharmacies, which can be included in the scale of the first aid kit (if the person is known to have severe allergies). In addition to the administration of Adrenaline, the administration of antihistamines is also useful (these can also be administered in milder anaphylactic reactions, and Adrenaline is administered only in severe forms – anaphylactic shock);
In case of cardio-respiratory arrest, cardio-pulmonary resuscitation maneuvers are applied;
The patient will be transported to the hospital on a stretcher, avoiding his mobilization (the patient will not walk);
The antiviperine serum will only be administered in the hospital, if the degree of toxicity is moderate-severe.
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