Mojave Green snake bites 6-year-old California boy, 42 vials of antivenom needed

The Mojave Green is one of the most poisonous varieties of pit vipers in North America.

/ CBS Los Angeles

(CBS News) A 6-year-old boy is battling against a bite from one of the deadliest snakes in the country, the Mojave Green.

According to CBS Los Angeles, Kaden Rivera was enjoying a holiday camping trip on July 4 when disaster struck.

"My son was chasing the dog. All of a sudden we heard a scream from out of the bushes. 'I've been bit by a snake,'" the boy's father Ken told the station.

Rivera saw signs warning of rattlesnakes, and ran with his son to the ranger's station while his condition worsened. By the time they reached the ranger, the boy was already vomiting and foaming at the mouth.

"He lost control of his muscles, and his limbs. He had a rash all over his face. He couldn't breathe," the boy's father said.

He was brought to Mission Viejo Hospital in Mission Viejo, Calif., where doctors recognized the symptoms as a bite from the especially toxic rattlesnake, the Mojave Green.

"It took 42 vials of antivenom just to stabilize him," the boy's father told CBS Los Angeles. "Normally it would just take a few ... depending on the snake."

Representatives at Mission Viejo hospital said they could not comment on the child's case.

Snake venom expert Dr. Sean Bush, professor of emergency medicine at Loma Linda University School of Medicine, told HealthPop that the Mojave Green snake is known for having the most lethal venom of all North American pit vipers, a class of snakes that includes rattlers.

Bush said when a poisonous Mojave bites, the venom can stay in a person's system for weeks or months. About 15 percent of people bitten by a poisonous snake may lose a body part like a finger, or experience loss of sensation or function. Others may experience more severe complications like bleeding to death from one bite from the deadly snake.

While 42 vials of antivenom, or antivenin, may sound like a lot, Bush said some cases he's treated have required 58 vials or continuous drips of antivenin that may approach 100 vials of the treatment. Typical treatment is using CroFab antivenin, which is a type of antivenom made from four snakes that can treat poisonous bites from North American pit vipers.

Bush sees snakebites commonly at his hospital, especially among kids, who he calls "high-risk" because they are little and are more likely to run around outdoors without shoes when it's warm out.

Bush's son himself was bitten by a rattlesnake when the child was 2, and was profiled in the New York Times, so he knows firsthand how frightening this can be when a child is struck by a snake.

Luckily, he said, "Kids are amazingly resilient" when it comes to snake bites. Out of tens of thousands of children who have suffered poisonous snake bites over the past decade, Bush estimates only three have died. By giving antivenom earlier and in higher quantities, it may protect from worsened outcomes, he said.

If you live in an area with poisonous snakes, Bush urges parents to make sure their children are wearing footwear or even denim jeans while outdoors, which can reduce the odds of a bite.

Most importantly, kids should stay away if they see a snake.

"A lot of young kids, they get bitten when they harass the snake," Bush said. He added that many bites occur when a child tries to play with a snake, or thinks a snake is dead and picks it up, only to get bitten. Even severed snakes could still stay alive for more than an hour and give a deadly bite.

"This is actually the peak time of year for snake bites," Bush said, adding that the heat and moisture provide an ideal environment for snakes. "People [also] go out a lot, and when the snakes move and the people move, that's when they get together and connect in a bad way."

Dr. Bush has more information on toxic snake bites.

[mille250]

I live in southern California and I can tell you that I have run into rattlesnakes multiple times. The fact of the matter is, that here with the weather and the landscape it is a perfect place for snakes to live. In general they won't bother you unless alarmed. However, when hiking trials (which by the way are frequently used by families), it is common to come across one. My husband and I were running when he almost ran on top of one that was just sun bathing in the middle of the trail. You cannot live inside in fear your whole life; you just have to know what is out there and what to do in a situation during which you are posed with threat. This father did exactly what he had to do and got his child help immediately. I would not say they were being naive or irresponsible; they were enjoying a camping trip, which is a common pass time by families (especially in places with nice weather). I would not use this article to judge someone's parenting, but rather to acknowledge that with the advances in medicine and the quick thinking of this boys parents, his life was saved. That is all that matters.

[credibility2]

Hope the kid pulls through. It's sad that the parents acknowledge seeing warning signs of snakes, but yet allowed their kid to go roaming around playing with the dog. Sounds like the kid went into an area he shouldn't have been in and without parental supervision....an avoidable incident.

[MojitoMamma]

If there were warning signs in the area, if there was such a high risk of encountering snakes, I wouldn't go there at all. With kids you can never be "too safe." I'm thinking they should have gone to a city park, or the beach, or stayed in their backyard.

[msfit32]

I live in an area with plenty of Rattlesnakes...they are even around the homes at times. Fortunately, the type of Rattlesnake here is not as poisonous as a Mohave Green.

I hike with my dogs and run into Rattlers at least half a dozen times per year. The good news is that Rattlers usually give you some warning or you take them by surprise (in the cooler morning when they are slow to react) and you can jump out of the way before they coil up and get cranky lol..

I have learned not to hike in the evening...they are much more active..

But I guess my point is that Rattlesnakes are EVERYWHERE you go hiking or camping around here and yet it is rare for people to get struck..sometimes dogs, but people not so much.

[Nellie_Athome]

erasmus111 - I guess you plan to stay indoors for the rest of your life. FYI Rattlesnakes, a poisonous pit viper, are common in southern Canada, from BC to Ontario so, whatever you may think or say in your intolerant and judgmental fashion you do live in an area with poisonous snakes.

Anyone can die from a rattlesnake bite depending on the size of the snake, the size of the person and the location of the bite.

[erasmus111]

Listen Nellie, I think I should know whether there are rattlesnakes where I live! I said that there were some up country, where it is more dry, but there aren't any here! NONE.

And I didn't say that you couldn't die, I said it was UNLIKELY.

[erasmus111]

I also said that I live on the southern COAST. There are no rattlesnakes! Maybe you should learn to READ. Need glasses, or a brain?

[erasmus111]

Well, all I've gotta say is that there ain't no way that I would be living or camping where there are poisonous snakes. And I most certainly wouldn't be letting my kid or dog run around where there are poisonous snakes.

It's called COMMON SENSE!

[endrepubs]

So, you are saying there are no poisonous snakes where you live?

[2k2kev]

ALL CAPS means you mean serious business!!

but 49 states have poisonous snakes, so unless you live in alaska you're pretty much going to have to stay inside.