Skip to content
Life Guide Situations Guides

    Type a keyword to search
    English

    If bitten by a snake, sit down and keep still, take off rings and watches, get to a hospital quickly for antivenom, and don't cut, suck or tie tightly

    • High value
    • Evidence B
    • Buys life
    • Free
    • Takes minutes
    • Some willpower

    In a real emergency, call 911 first, then read this.

    In plain words

    Sit down and keep still, and immobilize the bitten limb. First take off rings and watches, so they don't cut in when the limb swells. Get to a hospital with antivenom as quickly as you can; antivenom is the most effective way to prevent or reverse most of the venom's effects. Don't cut the wound open, don't suck it with the mouth, don't apply ice, don't rub it, don't tie it with a cord, and don't walk around. If you can photograph the snake, do so, and don't try to catch it.

    Cost

    Free. Find out ahead of time which nearby hospital has antivenom. The hard part is holding back from treating the wound yourself.

    What you get

    The original from WHO has three sentences. One is "immediately and completely immobilize the bitten part of the body and get to the nearest medical facility quickly." One is "avoid tourniquets, and avoid cutting the wound." Another is "treat with the appropriate antivenom for the local snake species." "High-quality antivenom is the most effective treatment for preventing or reversing most of the toxic effects of snakebite." Each year about 81,000 to 138,000 (8.1ไธ‡ to 13.8ไธ‡) people worldwide die of snakebite, and the number who suffer amputation and permanent disability is about 3 times the number of deaths. China's 2024 snakebite treatment guideline estimates that there are 250,000 to 280,000 (25ไธ‡ to 28ไธ‡) venomous snakebites a year in China, with the bitten mostly aged 50 and over. Hospitals in 11 provinces in the Yangtze River basin and the south treated 40,817 snakebite patients from 2017 to 2021, and 23 (0.06%) died in hospital. The 2025 first aid guidelines of the International Red Cross state that a bitten person should move as little as possible, and not walk if the bite is on the leg. Take off jewelry, watches and tight clothing so that swelling does not cut off the blood flow. Do not use a tourniquet, suck, apply cold, rub or cut with a knife; these practices don't help and may do more harm. If you can safely photograph the snake, do so, and do not try to catch or kill it

    Notes

    If you can photograph the snake, do so, and don't try to catch it. Don't run, don't suck with the mouth, don't apply ice, and don't tie with a cord. There is no official count of snakebite deaths for all of China. The in-hospital death rate in those 11 provinces looks low, but more than one in ten patients left the hospital on their own before treatment was done, and what happened to them later is not in the figures.

    Evidence grade
    B : Supported by research but without a precise number, or based on small or single studies.
    Sources
    1. WHO. Animal bites: fact sheet [in Chinese]. https://www.who.int/zh/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/animal-bites
    2. WHO (2023). Snakebite envenoming: fact sheet [in Chinese]. https://www.who.int/zh/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/snakebite-envenoming
    3. Lai R et al. (2024). The Chinese guideline for management of snakebites. World Journal of Emergency Medicine 15(5):333-355: "An estimated 250,000โ€“280,000 cases of venomous snakebites occur in China each year, affecting mainly patients aged โ‰ฅ50 years". https://doi.org/10.5847/wjem.j.1920-8642.2024.076
    4. Yan S et al. (2026). Clinical epidemiology of snakebite envenoming in hospitals 11 provinces of Yangtze River Basin and southern regions of China. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases: "withdrawal (4346, 10.65%), and death (23, 0.06%)". https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0013247
    5. International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (2025). International First Aid, Resuscitation and Education Guidelines 2025, pages 339โ€“341: "Remove jewellery, watches or tight clothing to prevent blood flow being restricted if there is swelling" "The following actions are not effective and may even cause further harm: applying a tourniquet, sucking out the venom, applying a cold compress, rubbing the bite, cutting the wound with a knife to increase bleeding" "Do not try to catch or kill the snake. Consider taking a photo". https://www.ifrc.org/sites/default/files/2026-03/IFRC%20International%20First%20Aid,%20Resuscitation%20and%20Education%20Guidelines%202025.pdf

    Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 13, tip 29. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer