Three Snakebite Cases Reported Across Israel Including a 14-Year-Old in Bnei Darom

In the past 24 hours, three snakebite incidents were reported in Israel, involving a 14-year-old girl in Bnei Darom, a 48-year-old woman in Rishon Lezion, and a 26-year-old woman in the Galilee. Hoshen Brown, the teenager from Bnei Darom, recounted her experience of being bitten while walking on the road to a friend's house. She felt a sharp sting in her leg, saw a snake, and ran to her friend's home before emergency services transported her to Assuta Ashdod Hospital. After medical evaluation, she received an antivenom for a viper bite and her condition improved. Hoshen emphasized the importance of staying calm and avoiding running after a bite.

Earlier on Wednesday morning, a 48-year-old woman was bitten by a snake while working at the Volcani Institute in Rishon Lezion. She was taken to Shamir Medical Center in stable but serious condition with bite marks on her lower limbs. Meanwhile, a 26-year-old woman was hospitalized in the intensive care unit at the Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya after a snakebite near her home in Majd al-Krum.

Dr. Khaled Atalla, head of the emergency department at the Galilee Medical Center, advised that victims should remain calm, immobilize the bitten limb to slow venom spread, and seek immediate hospital care. He warned against cutting the bite site, sucking out venom, applying tourniquets, or trying to catch the snake. Snake catcher Shlomo Horvitz from "Shlomo's Animal Farm" stressed avoiding contact with snakes, watching where one steps or places hands, and checking shoes and clothes when outdoors. He explained snakes bite mainly in self-defense or to capture prey and generally avoid humans unless surprised or threatened.

The reports highlight increased snake activity during this season and the need for public awareness on prevention and proper response to snakebites.