A teenager is on the road to recovery after being bitten on his left knee by a Puff Adder while doing the Three Pools trail in Underberg on Friday.
The 15-year-old, who was discharged from Life Hilton Hospital on Sunday, is reportedly doing very well and is in good spirits.
Paramedics from the Underberg Emergency Medical Services (UEMS) said that when they arrived the scene, near the Drakensberg Gardens Hotel, the boy’s father told them he believed a Puff Adder had bitten his son.
After checking the bite, it was clear he was right.
The paramedics, working with Dr Alan Howard, stabilised the teenager, before transporting him to Hilton for specialised treatment.
“On arrival at the hospital, a surgeon, doctors and nurses were waiting for us,” the UEMS said. “The patient immediately received eight ampules of anti-venom and was kept in the intensive care unit for observation.”
Puff Adder venom is cytotoxic, causing a bite victim severe pain, as well as swelling and blistering around the wound.
According to the Snake Bite Institute fatalities are rare, but anti-venom should, nevertheless, be administered as soon as possible.