A warning today from the Georgia Poison Center: Be on the lookout for snakes!

There have been five reports of snake bites in the last week. One of them was a 2-year-old child playing in the back yard.

Just like the human population, the snake population in Georgia is growing. Each year, hundreds of people are bitten by venomous snakes. Though deaths are rare, it can be a very painful experience.

Gaylord Lopez , Executive Director of the Georgia Poison Center, says every one of the bites so far this year have been from copperheads.

“We warn people whether they’re inside or outside. We’ve had a couple of snake bites indoors, in work sheds and whatnot. We’ve had the other couple two or three being outdoors.”

He says to use common sense and be aware of your surroundings.

About a quarter of venomous snake bites require anti-venom, which works by boosting our immune systems and breaking down toxins.

The Georgia Poison Control Center has recorded two snake bite deaths in the last five years.

If you get bitten by a snake, here’s what you shouldn’t do.

“No putting ice on the site, no using a tourniquet, no using medication and alcohol,” Lopez said. “No sucking it out like in the old Western movies we used to see.”

Lopez said the first antidote for snake bites are car keys.

“Go to get evaluated,” Lopez said. “We’ll check out the wound. We’ll check out the symptoms.”

The Georgia Poison Control Center said they’ve gotten more than 2,500 snake bite calls in the last five years and this year, that number could climb above 3,000.