A Queensland woman has died after being bitten by an unidentified snake … but people are being warned that an unusually high number of eastern brown snakes will be out and about this summer.
The deadly reptiles, which carry powerful venom and become aggressive if confronted, are said to be breeding in high numbers following two good wet seasons which has left food sources like rats and mice in plentiful supply.
Narelle Pails, 43, died after being bitten several times through her trousers as she was working in her garden at Wheatvale near Warwick. The snake is understood to have bitten into Ms Pails’s blood vessel, depositing venom directly into the bloodstream, which would have killed her within minutes.
Following the incident, a Queensland Police Service spokesman said officers from Stanthorpe had been asked to transport a vial of antivenene from Stanthorpe Hospital to Warwick Hospital. However, Queensland Health director-general Tony O’Connell insisted that this was simply a precautionary move as Warwick Hospital had 14 vials of antivenene on hand, more than enough to treat the woman.
“If snake venom gets into the bloodstream straight away, rather than just being deposited in the muscles, then it’s a much more difficult challenge to maintain the patient,” said Dr O’Connell.
Ms Pails was a wife and mother and worked as a nurse at Warwick Hospital.
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare statistics show 1750 Australians were hospitalised for snake bites from 2002-05. On average, however, two to three people die each year from snake bite, with eastern browns generally responsible for about half of them.
The need for caution when camping, bushwalking, collecting firewood or simply being out and about can scarcely be over-emphasised.
