E-Paper
Kanpur reports 123 snakebites in 14 days, nine on ventilator
In the last one week, 51 patients came off the ventilator, and nine continue to take its assistance.
Incessant rain has damaged snake pits, forcing the reptiles to seek shelter in populated areas, and as a result, cases of snakebite have reached an all-time high in Kanpur.
In the last 14 days, the LLR Hospital, the only referral centre for snakebite, has received 123 cases—68 of which were bitten by highly venomous snakes and had to be put on the ventilator, doctors said.
“The poison paralysed them and affected the nervous system; the ventilators helped save their lives,” said Dr SK Gautam, head of medicine department, GSVM Medical College. In the last one week, 51 patients came off the ventilator, and nine continue to take its assistance.
At present, one patient is being given 25 to 30 vials of antidotes to the poison in the hospital. Data reveals that LLR Hospital is getting an average of four to five cases of snakebite every day. In the last 14 days, the hospital used 780 anti-venom vials and 1,000 additional vials are in the store keeping the high numbers in mind.
“Snake venoms react differently. Some poisons are neuro-toxic which elevate the blood pressure and damage the respiratory system, paralysing the body. Some cause clotting,” said Dr Gautam, adding that never before has the hospital received such a high number of cases.
The veterinarian of Kanpur zoo, Dr Aniruddh Singh, said that the Indian Krait is the main suspect in the bites with Spectacled Cobras in rural and suburban areas. The krait is a highly venomous snake and found in abundance in this region. Other venomous species in and around Kanpur are the Russel Viper and Boomslang.
