Medical Bill To Treat Snake Bite Could Be Costly For Californians

Here are the morning’s top stories on Tuesday, November 19, 2024…

• If you’re one of the unlucky people who get bitten by a venomous snake, you’re going to need antivenom. And it’s costly. Millions of Californians live in rattlesnake territory, and are unaware that the medical bill could be enormous.
• It’s been two weeks since Lake County’s Measure U asked voters if the town of Kelseyville should change its name to Konocti. Over 70% voted against the change.
• Three people in the state have tested positive for E. coli, amid a multistate outbreak caused by contaminated carrots linked to a Bakersfield farm.

Toddler’s Backyard Snake Bite Bills Totaled More Than $250,000

This spring, a few days after his 2nd birthday, Brigland Pfeffer was playing with his siblings in their San Diego backyard. His mother, Lindsay Pfeffer, was a few feet away when Brigland made a noise and came running from the stone firepit, holding his right hand. She noticed a pinprick of blood between his thumb and forefinger when her older son called out, “Snake!”

Pfeffer called 911, and an ambulance transported Brigland to Palomar Medical Center Escondido. When they arrived, Brigland’s hand was swollen and purple. Antivenom, an antibody therapy that disables certain toxins, is usually administered via an intravenous line, directly into the bloodstream. But emergency room staffers struggled to insert the IV.

Doctors used a procedure that delivers medicine into the bone marrow, giving Brigland a starting dose of the antivenom Anavip. He was transferred to the pediatric intensive care unit at Rady Children’s Hospital, where he received more Anavip.

The swelling that had spread to his armpit slowly decreased. A couple of days later, he left the hospital with his grateful parents. Then the bills came. $297,461, which included two ambulance rides, an emergency room visit, and a couple of days in pediatric intensive care. Antivenom alone accounts for $213,278.80 of the total bill.

Lake County Voters Appear To Reject Ballot Measure On Kelseyville Name Change

In Lake County in Northern California, Measure U on the November ballot is expected to go down to defeat, as more than 70% of residents so far have voted against it.

Advocates of the change say Kelseyville’s name wrongfully honors settler Andrew Kelsey. He murdered and enslaved Indigenous people when he lived in the area in the 1800s.

Lorna Sides is a member of Citizens for Healing, a local group supporting the name change. She and others in the group opposed the creation of Measure U in the first place. She says the decision should have been left to the county’s board of supervisors alone.

Three E. Coli Cases Reported In California, Linked To Contaminated Carrots

One person in LA County has died and at least 38 others across the U.S. have become ill following an E. coli outbreak linked to organic carrots, according to federal health officials.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said it’s  investigating two local cases. One linked to the outbreak resulted in the death of an adult over 65 with medical conditions.

Carrots from Grimmway Farms, based in Bakersfield have been linked to the outbreak. The farm said the recalled items are likely no longer sold in grocery stores, but they may be in customers’ refrigerators or freezers. The company urged that customers with recalled carrots should discard them and sanitize any surfaces they touched.