Snake bite (patient fact sheet)

Download our fact sheet  to provide your patients with easy to follow guidance on snake bite.

This fact sheet has the #withconsumers tick from the Consumers Health Forum of Australia

A snake bite occurs when a snake uses its fangs (teeth) to try to inject you with snake venom. Snakes are most likely to bite you in self-defence (for example, if someone is trying to harm or capture them).

There are three venomous snakes found in Victoria – brown, tiger and red-bellied black snakes. Snake bite is uncommon in Victoria, and envenomation (potentially life-threatening poisoning from the bite) is rare. Each year in Australia one to four deaths are caused by snake bite.