Rattlesnake Warning
Tucson Citizen
Published: 09.18.2006
Use caution outside, because it's baby rattler time. Three people have suffered rattlesnake bites in southern Arizona during the past several weeks without realizing they had been bitten by a snake until reviewing their symptoms with the
Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center at the
University of Arizona.
One possible reason for the higher than usual number of unrecognized snakebites is that baby rattlesnakes have no rattles until their first shed, so they make no warning sound, says Jude McNally, managing director of the poison center. And because of the unusual rains, there is more brush and grass to camouflage the small snakes this year.
TUCSON AREA: Because obtaining immediate medical treatment is critical in cases of venomous snakebite, the poison center encourages anyone who feels an unidentified "sting," "pinch" or "bite" while outdoors, especially on a limb, or who notices a small cut or wound, to immediately call the center at (800) 222-1222.
For more information about the center and snake bites, go online to
www.pharmacy.arizona.edu/outreach/poison.
Rattlesnake Warning: Tucson, AZ
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