Suspected snake bite kills pregnant woman, unborn baby in remote WA town of Meekatharra
Updated
A heavily pregnant woman and her unborn baby have died after a suspected snake bite in the Mid-West WA town of Meekatharra, 775 kilometres north-east of Perth.
St John Ambulance officers were called to a home in Main Street at 8:43pm on Monday.
It was reported the 27-year-old woman had been bitten while outside her home and began fitting.
She alerted family members who called emergency services.
The woman was taken to Meekatharra Hospital but died shortly after arrival.
The ABC understands medical staff at the hospital were unable to save her unborn baby. She was 31 weeks into her pregnancy.
Her body will be taken to Perth for a post-mortem examination, but it could take some months to determine the exact cause of death and type of bite.
Police are preparing a report for the coroner.
Death adder the prime suspect
Experienced reptile enthusiast Corin Desmond said the woman's quick decline could indicate she was bitten by a desert death adder.
"I think the most likely one would have been one of the death adder," Mr Desmond said.
"If surprised it will strike and they are very deadly."
Mr Desmond said venom from western king brown and gwardar snakes often lead to pain and illness, but were rarely life threatening.
"It does occur [fatalities] but I don't think there has been a king brown's fatality — except a reaction to one in 2000. Apart from that the last death was in the 1970s," he said.
"The gwardar, you feel sick and it hurts a lot but it's not generally life threatening, but it can be.
"Whereas the death adder can have a high mortality rate if there is no anti-venom in time."
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