The European Adder. Photo: wikipedia.org

Dozens of people have been hospitalized after being bitten by adders which are out in abundance due to a heatwave across Poland.

Adders, which in Poland are usually encountered only on mountain trails or in the woods, have exchanged their quiet hideouts for lawns and courtyards in busy residential districts.

In the southern city of Krakow itself several children have been bitten by venomous reptiles this summer. Two girls taken to the city's Prokocim paediatric hospital were in a serious state but managed to recover. One of them was bitten while playing in front of her village house, another while taking a walk in the forest.

“We had children here bitten by adders in school playgrounds or house gardens. The most unbelievable case was a 2-year-old boy who had his behind bitten by an adder while sitting on a potty in a summer house,” says Janina Lankosz-Lauterbach, a doctor from Prokocim hospital.

Adders have poured out because of extreme heat which has hit Poland in the past few days. On Saturday, temperatures in many Polish cities exceeded 30 degrees Celsius. (mg/jb)

Source: RMF FM

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