CHARLOTTE, N.C. — North Carolina leads the nation in the number of people annually bitten by snakes, both venomous and non-venomous.
People can take some steps to avoid being bitten and learn how to treat snake bites.
"A number of bites I see in the (emergency room) are the result of either people walking around barefoot in the yard or people walking around in flip-flops," Dr. Ben German, an emergency room physician at WakeMed in Raleigh, said.
German, who also is a snake hobbyist, said snakes bite only when they're surprised and feel threatened. He advised people to watch where they walk and to be careful about picking up objects in the yard.
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