Venomous snakes are on the loose in Fairfax County.
Fairfax police are reporting an “unusually high” number of copperhead snake sightings this spring and already have logged nonfatal bites in Riverbend Park, Reston and Clifton.
“Typically we don’t see bites this early in the season,” said Fairfax police spokeswoman Lucy Caldwell, explaining that copperheads are most common from August to October, when infant snakes slither forth from their eggs.
Caldwell said police aren’t sure why snake sightings and bites are up this spring, but residents need to be aware of the danger posed by their shiver-inducing neighbors.
» Stay calm: Try to breath deeply and steadily
» Keep still: Keep the affected area as immobile as possible to reduce blood flow
» Mouth off: Do not attempt to suck out the poison or tie a tourniquet
» Get help: Seek immediate medical attention
» Make the call: Contact the National Capital Poison Center at 800-222-1222
A Fairfax County police statement warned that Virginia is home to three types of venomous belly sliders — the timber rattlesnake, cottonmouth and copperhead — and though fatalities are rare, all three are potentially deadly.
Snakebites can lead to swelling and bruising, sweating, weakness, nausea, vomiting and muscle twitching, according to the police.
“A lot of people don’t realize that we do have snakes, and they are poisonous,” Caldwell said. “Fairfax is semiurban, but there are still a lot of wildlife issues that people need to contend with.”
Dan Avstreih, an emergency physician at Inova Fairfax Hospital, said residents with existing medical conditions should be extra-careful.
“People with underlying medical conditions are at greater risk, and so an elderly person with base line medical problems would be at especially high risk [if bitten],” Avstreih said.
He also had advice for anyone bitten by a snake: Get to a hospital.
Avstreih warned residents never to assume a snakebite is harmless, or that they can correctly identify a venomous snake. He said anyone bitten should keep the affected area as immobile as possible and seek immediate medical care.
And no, you shouldn’t try to suck out the poison.
“That’s not useful, and you’re likely going to do more damage,” Avstreih said.
Police are warning residents to be especially mindful of small children and pets, and to stay on sidewalks and trails whenever possible while outdoors.
And please, after 10 p.m., try to keep the shrieking to a minimum.
