Rattler takes bite out of NE LHIN’s budget

The Massassauga Rattlesnake is protected and, now, with the re-establishment of an anti-venom depot at the Parry Sound Health Centre, so are Ontario cottagers and outdoor enthusiasts who have the bad luck to be bitten by one.

A provincially-funded depot was established at the West Parry Sound Health Centre in 2003 to co-ordinate the province's supply of anti-venom, but the program was orphaned when the province handed over health-care funding responsibility to the Local Health Integration Networks two years later.

"The funding mechanism changed from a centralized system to the LHINs and they really didn't know how to fund a provincial program through a regional envelope," said West Parry Sound Health Centre CEO Donald Sanderson.

"The Northeast LHIN and the Ministry of Health have been very supportive all the way along. It just took longer than we expected."

Ontario's only venomous snake was responsible for 14 bites in 2009, nine of which took place on the shores of Georgian Bay, the last stronghold of the Massassauga Rattler.

With no funds to purchase and manage the anti-venom inventory, hospitals were on their own, said Heather Logan-Lane, the health centre's pharmacist and co-ordinator of the anti-venom depot.


Disaster

"Last summer was just a disaster. All of the hospitals were crying for anti-venom and health authorities were throwing money at them. It was just chaos."

A centralized depot makes more sense because of the cost of the anti venom, its limited shelf life and the red tape involved in importing it. By storing a limited supply at hospitals in proximity to the snake's habitat and keeping track of the product's expiry dates, Logan-Lane is able to dispatch it as required and limit waste.

"I know who has what and I know the expiry dates, so if there's a bite in Midland and I know that Owen Sound's dose is expiring in the next three months, I'll instruct Owen Sound to ship its dose to Midland."

With each dose priced at $20,000, the cost of wasted anti-venom adds up quickly.

People bitten by a Massassauga Rattler have six hours to get to a hospital and receive a starting dose of six vials of anti-venom through infusion.

"Generally, what happens is that once the symptoms (pain and swelling) have stabilized, you do a maintenance therapy of another three sets of two vials every three hours," said Logan-Lane. "The minimum anyone would get would be 12 vials, but if it's a more severe bite, you could get six vials, then another six three hours later, followed by three more sets of two vials three hours apart."

There is only one recorded death attributable to the Massassauga Rattler and that occurred 60 or more years ago. The primary danger is bleeding as a result of the venom's anti-clotting properties.

According to Jeremy Rouse, species at risk biologist with the Ministry of Natural Resources in Parry Sound, "it's not an aggressive snake and will retreat rather than bite." An adult snake is usually less than 24 inches in length.


Closed shoes

Wearing closed shoes and long pants can prevent most bites, he said.
"I personally wouldn't walk along the eastern shore of Georgian Bay without shoes, especially along rock outcrops."

Rouse, who completed his Masters degree specializing in rattlesnakes, has handled more than 1,000 rattlers without injury, but admits to "being very respectful of them."

The largest population of rattlers is found on the eastern shore of Georgian Bay from the Severn to the French River, but smaller pockets can also be found on the Bruce Peninsula, in the Wainfleet Bog near Port Colborne and in some areas around Windsor in southern Ontario. The only Massassauga Rattler north of the French River is on public display at Science North in Sudbury.

Harassing, harming, poaching or killing a Massassauga Rattler is a violation of both the Fish and Wildlife Act and the more recent Endangered Species Act, and can result in a fine of $5,000. The prohibition applies, said Rouse, even if you've been bitten.

The Northeast LHIN provided base funding of $350,000 for the anti-venom depot in December.