Alert after three bitten by vipers on coastal path
ADOG walker ended up in hospital for three days after suffering a severe allergic reaction after being bitten by a snake.
Three people were reportedly bitten by snakes last weekend on the Rhossili coastline.
One of them, a 55-year-old man, who has asked not to be named, was treated for anaphylactic shock – a severe and potentially life-threatening reaction to a trigger such as an allergy, according to the NHS website – after being bitten by an adder.
The 55-year-old said the incident happened while he was walking his dog with his wife down a footpath towards Rhossili from Llangennith on Saturday at around 4.25pm. He joked to his wife he should go in front in case there were snakes about when he heard his wife scream.
The man said he turned around and saw a large adder in the middle of the footpath, which they have used many times before.
“At that stage I didn’t know if it had bitten me,” he added. “I looked at my little left toe and, within seconds, my toe was numb. I dialled 111 and I was advised to make my way to Morriston Hospital A&E.”
While his wife was driving to the hospital, said the man, from the Cardiff area, his lips and tongue began to tingle.
“It kicked in very quickly,” he continued. “We rang an ambulance.
“My lips swelled twice their size and there was an immense feeling of chest pressure.”
The man said emergency services arrived quickly and took him to hospital, where he received treatment.
He was discharged from hospital on Tuesday, but his leg is still swollen and badly bruised.
He has been told it can take up to six weeks for the leg to go back to normal.
“I have been advised to carry an adrenaline pen with me in case I get stung by a bee,” he added.
Reports of snake bites were made to the voluntary Coastguard crew at Rhossili, who have since issued a warning. The snakes are believed to have been spotted on Llangennith sand dunes, between Rhossili and Burry Holmes.
According to the coastguards, of the three people who were bitten, one was a two-year-old girl.
Mark Button, a member of the voluntary crew at Rhossili Coastguard, said: “Advice is to stick to footpaths, wear long trousers, socks and shoes and make a bit of noise while walking, for example, stamping feet helps as snakes pick up on vibration and this can frighten them off.”
Mr Button said anyone bitten by a snake should call 999 immediately.
The NHS advises that if you are bitten by a snake try to remember the shape, size and colour of the snake, keep the part of your body that has been bitten as still as possible and do not put anything around the bitten limb to stop the spread of venom.