A 6-year-old boy died as a result of a rattlesnake bite near Colorado Springs, prompting warnings about what you should and should not do if you or your pet are bitten by these venomous snakes.

The boy was bitten while at the Bluestem Prairie Open Space in Security-Widefield on July 5 and died Saturday, according to Colorado Springs TV station KRDO.

Fatal rattlesnake bites are rare. In Colorado, the most recent fatal rattlesnake bite before last week occurred in 2017 when a 31-year-old Colorado man died after being bitten near Golden.

More: Tired of timed-entry reservation systems? Try these Colorado summer getaway options

On average, it is estimated Colorado sees about 200 rattlesnake bites per year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said nationally there are 7,000 to 8,000 people bitten by venomous snakes annually, resulting in about five deaths per year.

The recent death prompted Colorado Parks and Wildlife to release the below lists of what to do — and what not to do — after a rattlesnake bite, according to the HerpMed website, U.S. Food and Drug Administration and American Red Cross.

More: Rattlesnakes are emerging: Separate fact from fiction to identify, avoid, treat a bite

Reporter Miles Blumhardt looks for stories that impact your life. Be it news, outdoors, sports — you name it, he wants to report it. Have a story idea? Contact him at milesblumhardt@coloradoan.com or on Twitter @MilesBlumhardt.

Support his work and that of other Coloradoan journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.