Fla. Health Officials Ready if King Cobra Bites

Sept. 10--As many as 8,000 people in the United States are bitten by snakes each year, and only about five of them die.

That might be little consolation to local residents who are worried about an 8-foot king cobra that escaped from its home near Orlando a week ago. But experts say they are prepared in the unlikely event the cobra strikes.

"It'll be a terrible coincidence if someone gets bitten by a king cobra, but it's certainly less anxiety-provoking than the tropical storm that might have come," said Dr. Christopher Hunter, director of Orange County Health Services. "And I feel confident that from an EMS standpoint, we can take care of it."

The regional poison-control center has identified individuals who have antivenin for king cobra venom, which will be made available to the hospital -- mostly likely a trauma center -- that receives the patient.

King cobras, which can grow to 18 feet long, are found in parts of Southeast Asia -- the lone king cobra escapee wandering Central Florida notwithstanding. But there are venomous snakes in Florida.

Of more than 40 native species of snakes in Florida, six are venomous, including the eastern coral snake, the southern copperhead, the cottonmouth, the eastern diamondback rattlesnake, the timber rattlesnake and the dusky pygmy rattlesnake, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Florida's Poison Control Centers received more than 200 calls in the Central Florida area related to bites in 2014, although the breakdown of the data isn't available on the agency's website.

The thing not to do is engage with the snake -- no matter what kind it is. And don't try to suck out the poison or put a tourniquet above the site. Research has shown that such efforts are ineffective and may introduce dirt to the site or cut off the blood supply, Hunter said.

"I tell my guys to take [the patient] to the hospital and not overthink it," he said.

Snake venoms are a complex mix of proteins, and depending on the mix, they have different effects. While rattlesnake poison causes tissue damage, the coral-snake poison can cause paralysis, as does that of king cobra.

"With cobra, the venom can inject much more quickly than coral snake and can have more disastrous effects," said Dr. Josef Thundiyil, medical toxicologist and emergency physician at Orlando Health, who sees his share of snake bites each year during spring and summer months.

"People think if they're careful, they can safely handle snakes. And I can say from experience, I've treated people who've been handlers for years who still get bit," he said.

Snakes, Thundiyil said, are mostly made of muscle.

"They curl up into this ball, so a lot of times it's easy to misjudge the distance from which they can strike. So there's a potential that if you think you're at a safe distance, you may not actually be at a safe distance," he said.

nmiller@tribpub.com or 407-420-5158

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