You are now more likely to make fun of poisonous snakes - this is why, says a new study
It's not just your imagination: poisonous snake bites are more common now.
Snakes are doing a lot across the country this year. In May, residents of Virginie and Georgia said they had found Venomous copperheads in their homes. And in North Carolina, a 5 year old boy and one 14 year old boy were bitten by this dangerous species in two separate incidents this summer. But it is not only the attention of the media, which makes the problem more widespread at the moment. The bitter snake bites is increasing, according to new research. Read the rest to find out why, according to a new study.
In relation: 8 things in your courtyard that attract snakes to your home .
New research indicates that you are now more likely to make fun of a poisonous snake.
Researchers from Emory University in Atlanta have just published results which indicate that the risk of biting by a poisonous snake is higher now than it was in the past.
Posted on July 11 in the Geohealth Journal, their Study analyzed Visits to the emergency service reported by the Georgia Hospital Association from 2014 to 2020. During this period, there were more than 5,000 hospitalizations due to snake bites, with 3,908 of the cases reported as poisonous.
The researchers then compared temperatures on the days of hospitalizations linked to the snake to other days in the same month. Thanks to this, they found that the risk of being bitten by a poisonous snake increases almost 6% for each degree Celsius, the temperature increases.
In other words, a warmer time makes you more likely to obtain a venomous snake bite.
In relation: The venomous snake spotted swimming through the lake: "It's a new fear."
Temperatures reach record heights this summer.
This news is particularly worrying since the large part of the United States has broken heat records. From 1970 to 2022, summer temperatures in nearly 230 parts of the country increased on average 2.4 degrees fahrenheit , according to an analysis of the Climate Research Group Central Climate.
In a July 12 Press release ,, Noah scovronick , PHD, the main author of the study on Snake and assistant environmental health professor at the Rollins School of Public Health in Emory, said that the increase in the risk of a venomous snake bite with warmer weather is a "Higher effect" than what is seen with other types of health -related health results.
"As a research group, we regularly study how weather and climate affect human health," said Scovronick. "Our results show that we must devote more efforts to understand the potential charges of the health of the snake bite in the context of climate change. The major temperature effects we found, combined with the fact that the bit bites Snake often affects populations without access to adequate health care, especially in other parts of the world - indicates that the increase in temperatures is a reason for concern. "
In relation: 8 plants that will keep snakes out of your court, according to pest experts .
You should be ready to meet a poisonous snake.
As temperatures increase and human development develops, human snake encounters will naturally increase, co-author of the study Lawrence Wilson , PHD, auxiliary professor and herpetologist at the Emory's College of Arts and Sciences, added in a press release.
"Although whoever spends a lot of time outside will have encountered a copper or another poisonous snake," warned Wilson.
According to Wilson, education can help reduce the risk of snake bites, even in the midst of increased interactions. According to the centers for disease control and prevention (CDC), around 7,000 to 8,000 people are bitten by poisonous snakes in the United States each year. From these cases, only about five people die each year thanks to the treatments.
"The number of deaths would be much higher if people did not provide medical care," warns the agency.
In relation: For more information, register for our daily newsletter .
And know what to do if you get a little.
It is important to be aware of the potential Signs and symptoms a snake bite. These include "plague marks, redness, swollen bruises, bleeding or blisters around bite, intense pain and sensitivity to the bite, nausea, vomiting or vomiting Diarrhea, laborious breathing, rapid heart rate, low impulse, low blood pressure, disturbed vision, metallic taste, mint or rubber in the mouth, increased salivation and perspiration, numbness or tingling around the face and / or members and muscle contractions, "said the CDC. AE0FCC31AE342FD3A1346EBB1F342FCB
"Look for a doctor as soon as possible," advises the agency. "Antivenom is the treatment of a serious snake envenue. Anifennom earlier can be started, irreversible damage earlier of the venom can be stopped."