Woman bitten by snake while hiking in KZN Midlands on Christmas Eve

A woman was bitten by a snake while hiking in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, paramedics said.

Netcare 911 spokesperson Shawn Herbst said the woman's husband called for help on his cellphone from New Hanover where the couple was hiking on Tuesday afternoon.

She had been bitten by a puff adder.

“A local company had arrived on scene with a first aider who initiated treatment when she began to show signs of cytotoxic venomisation.

“The patient was safely loaded onto a bakkie where they were to meet a Netcare 911 paramedic en route.

“The patient was assessed on scene by an emergency care practitioner who initiated advanced life support intervention.

“Due to the nature of the patient's condition a Netcare 911 helicopter ambulance was called to scene.

“Once treated and stabilised, the patient was flown to a specialist facility for further treatment,” said Herbst.