Patient rushed to Proserpine Hospital after snake bite in Cannonvale

Two late night snakebites in the Whitsundays are the latest in a slithering spree, as more than 81 people are hospitalised in Mackay and Rockhampton.

A patient was rushed from Valley Dr, Cannonvale to Proserpine Hospital on February 16 after being reportedly bitten by a snake.

A man and woman were rushed to Proserpine Hospital last night following reports of a snake bite in a Whitsunday suburb as snakebites surge across the state.

Paramedics responded to Valley Dr, Cannonvale at 7.10pm February 17 to reports of a snakebite.

They transported a male patient in his 40s to Proserpine Hospital in a stable condition.

Just over an hour later paramedics were called again to Cannonvale to reports of a woman in her 30s receiving a snakebite.

She was transported to Proserpine Hospital in a stable condition and both patients were then transported to Mackay.

These latest incidents bring the total count of snakebite victims in the Greater Whitsundays since December 2024 to 31.

The last week along saw a swath of snakebites as paramedics treated 15 Queenslanders in the last week and a man in his 20s was rushed from Marian to Mackay Hospital after suffering a snake bite in January.

Since snake season began in September Rockhampton reported 50 bite related hospitalisations, up from 31 last year. (AAP Image / Angelo Velardo)

There have been seven snake bites recorded across the Greater Whitsundays in February alone this year and in Rockhampton, 50 people have been treated for snake bites this season, up from 31 the previous season.

Mackay Base Hospital Emergency Department Senior Medical Officer Dr Nirindu Weerakoon said all snake bites should be treated as a medical emergency.

Beenleigh man Malcolm Biggs was bitten three times by a red-bellied black snake when he picked it up to move it off the road.

“The worst-case scenario is cardiac arrest... knowing snake bite first aid is critical and can save a life,” Dr Weerakoon said.

He warned potential symptoms victims might get are headaches, bleeding from the bite site, double vision, sometimes difficulty with breathing or stroke-like symptoms.

“Always call 000 or get someone else to go for help... as long as you are not in danger of being bitten again, remain where you are,” he said.

“Venom travels through your lymphatic system so the more you move the faster it is pumped around your body.”

Originally published as Patient rushed to Proserpine Hospital after snake bite in Cannonvale