A viper bit a 17-year old in an area close to the Transfagarasan high altitude road in Romania on Sunday, so the teenager was flown to a hospital in Bucharest to be given the antidote shot.

The nearest hospital in Arges county was short of the anti-viperine shot required in these cases. The victim was stable when taken in by helicopter, but doctors required this means of transport as health conditions can deteriorate quickly after viper bites.

The mountain rescuers in Arges county have warned many snakes have appeared in the Transfagarasan area.

Romania is home to three types of vipers. The horned viper (pictured), a venomous viper to be found in South-Western Romania and in the Dobrogea region in the South-East, is the most dangerous of all European vipers due to its size and high venom toxicity.

Viper berus, or the common European viper, is a mountain and hills presence across Romania, above 800 meters altitude. Its venom is stronger but as it is smaller in size, it injects less venom with a bite. It is easier to confuse with other snakes.

Vipera ursinii, or the meadow viper, is less spread and a rather endangered species in Romania, yet still present mostly in the counties of Cluj, Alba, Suceava, Botosani, Iasi, Galati and Tulcea.

The easiest way to recognize a viper and distinguish it from other snakes is to check the form of its pupil: vipers have vertical eye pupils, whereas snakes have round pupils. This is important to notice and tell rescuers and doctors, to administer the correct type of antidote. The venom the viper injects with its bite is poisonous and can even cause death.

editor@romania-insider.com