DISASTER! - Homeland Security and Emergency Management ...

• If possible and safe, remove venom - esp. if help is hoursaway. (Most snakebite kits have proper venom extractorsin them.)• DO NOT use “cut and suck” method!• Get to a doctor or hospital to receive antivenin.The worst effects may not be felt for hours after a bite from most poisonousNorth American snakes, but it is best if antivenin is given as quickly aspossible (or at least within 12-24 hours of the bite).SPIDER BITES, SCORPION STINGS, & TICKSThere are only a dozen or so spiders that can actually cause symptoms orside effects to humans with a bite -- the most serious are black widows andbrown recluses. Tarantulas are also a little serious but do not cause extremereactions and rarely will kill a human.Scorpions will sting anything that touches them. Their sting feels like asmall electrical shock (almost like a hot needle). Scorpions whip their tailsover their body and zap their enemy many times, but it happens so quick itmay only feel like one sting.You may think ticks are insects but they’re actually bloodsucking arachnids.Adult ticks have eight legs and two body segments just like spiders,mites and chiggers. Ticks grab onto a host (animals or people walkingthrough brush) and sink their harpoon-like barbed mouth and head into thehost’s skin to dine until they’re full of blood. Then they drop off and waitfor the next meal to pass by. Since ticks feast on one spot for days, they canspread bacteria and diseases from host to host (like from animals tohumans) - even by touching them.The main threat of both spiders and scorpions is the allergic reactionhumans have to their bite or sting so symptoms need to be watched carefully.Obviously the main threat of ticks is the risk of illness or disease (likelyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever or tick paralysis).Things to watch for…Bite or sting mark or ticksPain or burning feelingRedness or Swelling or RashStomach pain or pukingFlu-like symptoms - fever, dizziness, weakness,headache, body aches, swollen lymph nodes, etc.Change in skin color or bruising or rash (may lookkind of like a bulls-eye)www.itsadisaster.net or call 1-888-999-4325167