A 4-year-old boy in Stony Point, North Carolina, playing near a sandbox at the New Beginnings Child Enrichment Center, suffered a venomous copperhead snakebite on September 4. Staff initially thought the swelling was a splinter and contacted the child’s guardian instead of calling emergency services. Only after the guardian arrived did the true nature of the injury emerge, prompting them to rush the child to the hospital. Emergency services confirmed they did not receive a 911 call related to the bite.
Regarding the incident, Tiffany R, owner and Co-Director wrote on a Facebook post, that they immediately called the guardian of the child and the child is recovering well after receiving timely intervention.
Copperhead bites can cause rapid swelling, intense pain, and low blood pressure. Although fatalities are extremely rare, prompt emergency care is essential. The daycare reportedly removed the snake and stated that they will enhance safety measures with local experts.
Poison control centers in the U.S. receive about 45,000 snakebite reports annually, with approximately 7,000–8,000 confirmed venomous bites and an average of 5 to 10 fatalities per year.
Copperhead bites, though more common, are less likely to result in serious injury compared to rattlesnake bites, which account for most venomous bites and nearly all related deaths.
Children represent a significant portion of snakebite victims. Nearly 1,300 U.S. children suffer venomous snakebites each year, and in poisoning data from 2020 to 2023,[1] children under 13 accounted for around 10.9 percent of all reported cases. Among rattlesnake bites, 15–20 percent of documented cases involved pediatric patients.
A recent national analysis (2016–2023) [2] included 2,633 pediatric patients with venomous snakebites, with a median age of nine; 61 percent were male. Most victims lived in urban areas, particularly in the southern U.S. About 82 percent required hospital admission, with an average stay around 1.6 days. Rural patients more often received antivenom but had fewer abnormal coagulation results and ICU admissions.
Children often sustain bites on the extremities: leg and arm, reflecting typical behavior and exposure. Clinical severity, duration of hospitalization, and long-term outcomes are similar between pediatric and adult patients when managed promptly.
Health experts advise treating all snakebites as potentially venomous. Immediate actions include:
Calling 911 without delay.
Keeping the child calm and still.
Immobilizing the limb and keeping it lower than the heart.
Refraining from home remedies like suction, cutting, ice, or tourniquets.
Antivenom, the main treatment for venomous snakebites, is most effective when administered within four hours of the bite—although providers may use it later based on clinical judgment.
Preventive measures can reduce risks in children. Supervision during outdoor play, teaching children to avoid snakes, wearing protective footwear in wooded or grassy areas, and training caregivers to recognize dangerous snake species are vital steps. Facilities such as daycares in snake habitats may benefit from consultation with local wildlife services.
References:
David D. Gummin et al., “2023 Annual Report of the National Poison Data System® (NPDS) from America’s Poison Centers®: 41st Annual Report,” Clinical Toxicology (Philadelphia) 62, no. 12 (2024): 793–1027, https://doi.org/10.1080/15563650.2024.2412423.
Kristyn Jeffries et al., “Snakebites and Resource Utilization in Pediatric Urban and Rural Populations in the United States: 2016–2023,” Injury Epidemiology 12 (2025): Article 11, https://doi.org/10.1186/s40621-025-00563-3.
Stephen E. Meyers and Prasanna Tadi, “Snake Toxicity,” in StatPearls [Internet] (Treasure Island, FL: StatPearls Publishing, updated September 19, 2022), https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557565/.
(Rh/Eth/TL/MSM)