Westville girl (8) recovers after snake bite

MIA De Andrade’s New Year celebrations were halted when her foot started swelling after she was bitten by a snake, her family believed to be harmless, and had to be rushed to hospital.

The eight-year-old Westville resident had begged her parents to go on a camping trip and they finally gave in.

Read about the snake here: Don’t pick up snakes, warns Highway expert

Little did they know that this trip would result in many firsts. It was the first time the family went camping together, the first time Mia was bitten by a Stiletto snake and the first time she was transported to hospital in an ambulance.

The family camped at Bazeley Beach, Scottburgh and at about 7.30pm, Mia stepped on a snake while playing with some children nearby.

“A group of kids came running shouting that Mia had been bitten by a snake, but we were assured by other campers that the snake is harmless and Mia showed no signs of fever or swelling,” said her mom, Shelly Hardwick.

It was at 11.45pm when Mia’s condition changed completely. Her foot started swelling and she couldn’t walk on it.

Her parents made the decision to get her to St Augustine’s Hospital but she was transferred to Life Westville Hospital since there were no ICU beds available at St Augustine’s.

“Both hospitals were so good with taking care of her and it was only when the doctor arrived at 9am that we found out what snake had bitten her; and in the same ward at Westville Hospital, there was a guy who had also been bitten by a Stiletto snake,” said her dad, Cameron De Andrade.

Coincidentally, just before they left for Scottburgh, they were doing some shopping when they met local snake catcher, Nick Evans, selling his book and they bought one and Mia read it during the car ride to Bazeley Beach.

“I used to love snakes, now I’m not too sure, I wasted my holidays in a hospital bed because of one,” Mia said.

According to Evans, Mia’s case was an unfortunate one, and a freak accident.

“Accidentally stepping on a snake leaves the snake without any choice but to defend itself, and bite. That’s what happened here. It’s not the snake’s fault nor is it Mia’s, of course. The chance of this happening is extremely slim, but evidently, not impossible. Poor girl!,” he said.

Evans added that Mia experienced far more swelling than most other patients.

“Generally, it’s just the bitten hand or foot that swells up, but her whole leg swelled up.

It goes to show you that people react differently to venom. Bruising was also visible, but thankfully she did not experience any tissue damage. This is largely because she was receiving medical care. Necrosis, tissue damage, is not rare in Stiletto bites. I have seen some gruesome photos of bitten fingers and limbs.

“It certainly is a bite you want to avoid,” he said. According to Evans, since spring, at least 10 people have been bitten by a Stiletto snake, and most of them have been inflicted on people who have picked them up.

Do you want to receive alerts regarding this and other Highway community news via WhatsApp? Send us a WhatsApp message (not an sms) with your name and surname (ONLY) to 060 532 5409.

You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.