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Snakebite cause of 150 deaths every year
KATHMANDU, AUG 12 -
Three children of Dukhi Ram Khatik, a resident of Banke’s Indrapur VDC, died of snakebites on Tuesday. Khatik’s case may be one of the most unbearable, but about 150 families mourned snake-induced deaths of their loved ones last year.
Most of these cases are reported in the southern plains during the summer. In the past week alone, eight lives succumbed to venom of these poison-spewing reptiles in Banke, Salyan, Ilam and Jhapa districts.
According to the Division of Epidemiology and Disease Control (DEDC), around 150 people lose their lives every year due to snake bites, with 75 percent before seeing the hospital. “A timely visit to the hospital can save lives,” said GD Thakur, Director at DEDC.
In the fiscal year 2065/66 B.S., a majority of 702 victims, who were hospitalised, survived the venom.
The risk of a snakebite is higher in areas near the forest, or during the night, when the reptiles become very active. Most victims are poor and thus unable to visit a hospital on time. Often, they refer the case to a witch-doctor, leading to the victim’s death, say experts.
According to herpetologist (snake specialist) Karan Bahadur Shah, around 10 percent of 3,500 snake species found in the world are poisonous.
Of 80 types found in Nepal, 21 species are poisonous. “But only a dozen species are fatally poisonous,” said Shah.They include three species of Cobra, five species of Krait, two species of pit viper and two species of coral snake.
Krait species are comparatively more dangerous. “Six milligram (mg) of Krait venom is enough to kill a victim while a Cobra needs to inject 12 mg into a person’s bloodstream to cause the death,” said Shah.
In its bid to combat the high rate of snake-related fatalities, the government has, for last one decade, been distributing Antivenom Serum (AVS). According to a DEDC report, around 34,000 viles of AVS is purchased each year.
“Presently, all the regional, zonal and district hospitals including numbers of health centres and health posts are providing AVS free of cost,” said Thakur. “Around 2,000 trained professionals have been deployed all over the country to treat snake bites.” Some army camps and other institutions have also been treating patients.
Posted on: 2010-08-13 08:00
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