Sydney, Feb 17 : Australians in the northeastern state of Queensland have been warned to be cautious around snakes amid a surge in attacks.

Seven people in Queensland were hospitalised over the weekend with snake bites, including a man in his 30s who was in critical condition after being bitten on the ankle at a property about 40 km north of Brisbane on Sunday afternoon.

According to data from the Queensland Ambulance Service, there were 129 reported snake bites across the state in December and 128 in January.

In the seven days to February 10, there were 24 reported incidents.

Stuart McKenzie, owner of a Queensland snake-catching business, told Australian Broadcasting Corporation television on Monday that it has been a record-breaking summer.

He attributed the rise in snake confrontations to the growing urban sprawl into snake habitats.

"If you have a snake in your yard or your house, it's just about keeping a safe distance and always calling a snake catcher," he said. "The main thing is do not touch them, do not try and relocate them yourself, do not try and kill them - all of those things are illegal and there are rules in place for the safety of people and also our snakes."

Teenager Beau Horan died in November, days after an eastern brown snake bit him in the yard of his family's home near the city of Gladstone over 400 km north of Brisbane.

The eastern brown is the world's second-most venomous land snake found throughout Queensland.

Fatal snake bites are rare in Australia, with 35 reported between 2000 and 2016, Xinhua news agency reported.

A venomous snakebite injects venom, a poison (toxic) into the victim's body. The bite can cause injury. In rare cases, it can be fatal.

According to the CDC, about 8,000 snakebites happen in the US each year. Even a bite from a harmless snake can cause infection or allergic reaction in some people. For your safety, treat all snakebites as if they were venomous. Go to a hospital emergency room as quickly as possible.

/IANS