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Hollywood Man Bitten By Rattlesnake

MIAMI (CBSMiami) - A Hollywood man had to be treated after he was bitten by a poisonous snake--the second snake incident in a week.

The patient is now in good condition after being treated for the venomous snake bite.  Just less than a month ago, the fire rescue unit that provided life-saving care was very close to being defunded.

Jeffrey Fobb, with Miami-Dade Venom Response Team said, "This bite is far less severe than the bite from last week.  The animal was much smaller, the contact was short in duration because of size and length of time".

Big or small any rattlesnake bite could end up fatal.  The man's left hand was bitten Tuesday by a poisonous Eastern Diamondback.  In this case, the M.D. Fire Venom Response Team used at least six vials to treat the unnamed victim.

"The normal symptoms you get with a snake bite are pain and swelling.  And later symptoms are formation of vesicles or blood blisters," said Fobb.

Last week the same MDVRT saved another life, pumping 28 vials of anti-venom into an Everglades National Park Ranger who was also was bit by a poisonous Eastern Diamondback.

Fobb said, "With a snake bite the most important thing to do is activate the EMS system, get to the hospital as quickly as you can so you can receive the appropriate medications," said Fobb.

The three person V.R.T is responsible for delivering medical intervention for venomous injuries 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  The website says the VRT is also the largest and only anti-venom bank for public use in the United States.  CBS'4 Jamie Guirola learned that just last month, a budget shortfall would have taken a bite out of the VRT, seriously defunding it and reducing staff to one person.  Captain Jeffrey Fobb told CBS'4 Jamie Guirola that could have seriously complicated their ability to do their job in these two snake bite cases.

Fobb said, "Without treatment these are enzymes. The longer they are in the body the longer the person is exposed to them the more damage they do."

If the VRT was defunded, Captain Fobb tells us service would have been dramatically diminished and that could have adversely affected these latest cases.  That wasn't the case, but the funding question will undoubtedly come up with next years budget.

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