A nine-year-old boy was bitten by a snake at a Lag Ba’omer bonfire

The boy, Shai Haustein, from Givat Ada, came to the Hillel Yaffe Medical Center Emergency Room with his parents last night after being bitten on the ankle by a snake during his class Lag Ba’omer bonfire.

“Shai and his friends were playing around the bonfire, which was actually flat and free of weeds,” said his father, Herman, “They moved a little bit further away to see something at the edge of the area, and there were some weeds there. A few minutes later, he came to me in a panic, saying that he thought he had been bitten by a snake. His left ankle was bleeding, but he felt good. I started driving him home and, on the way, he told me that he couldn't see well. We called an ambulance right away and he vomited several times on the way. In the Emergency Room, they very quickly decided to give him antivenom, because he began feeling sleepy and his leg started to swell badly - showing all the symptoms that develop following a snake bite.

The director of the Department of Pediatrics, Dr. Adi Klein explained that when Shai arrived, after taking his vital signs and performing all the tests required, and given the clear signs, it was decided to administer antivenom, and they also began giving Shai supportive care. “It's a very serious bite,” she said, “The speed of arrival was very important in providing treatment in time. Happily, Shai responded well to the treatment.”

Shai Haustein recovering in Hillel Yaffe's Pediatric Department with his father and the department's nurse Olga

Shai is currently hospitalized in the Department of Pediatrics. His leg is still very swollen, and he is under observation.

Dr. Klein asks the public not only to listen to the warnings about the weather and to follow the rules about lighting fires, but also to pay attention that the area designated for the bonfire is not in a place where snakes can hide in the plants. 

“Snake bites at the end of the spring are the most dangerous. Even if a snake is young and small, it doesn’t necessarily mean that there is only a small amount of venom or less of a physical risk from the bite. Moreover, some believe that being bit by a young snake or a snake at the beginning of the season is even more dangerous, because they still have not used their venom to hunt."

Dr. Klein continued to say that not every person who is bit will need antivenom treatment, but even if the symptoms are not particularly acute, the victim should be taken to the hospital for diagnosis and treatment. Furthermore, you do not need to bring the snake to the emergency room - most people are bitten by the Palestine viper and are treated accordingly. If possible, it would be good to take a picture of the snake.