ACCORDING to media reports, a 20-year-old girl student Rida Fatima of Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Jamshoro, was bitten by a snake while she was sleeping in her dormitory of the university on June 25.

However, despite of medical treatment she died more than 72 hours after the snake bite as she was not given any first aid immediately after the venom destroyed her anti-coagulation system, causing her to bleed profusely.

During summer, especially in rainy season, all kinds of insects and reptiles emerge from under the ground and try to take shelter in airy and dry places like thick wild shrubs, trees, flower pots, garden hedges and buildings where they also find insects to hunt and feed.

Thus incidents of snake bite can occur any time. When snake bites, its venom starts flowing in blood vessels of the victim and if not treated immediately at a hospital the victim can die.

Therefore, it is necessary to know the first aid method of snake bite before the victim is taken to a hospital as this may save his or her life.

At first to ascertain that snake has bitten or not one should see if there are two small dots (fang marks) on the skin of the victim, blood is oozing out slowly and area around these two holes has become reddish.

If one sees these symptoms, the victim should be laid down and a constricting bandage with a string, strap or shoestring should be tied as tight as possible several inches above the bite. It should be done to retard the blood flow in the surface vessels, but the constricting bandage should not be too tight as it may close deep lying blood vessels.

If no doctor is available, sterilise a knife or a razor by holding into a flame for a minute and make an X-shaped incision across each fang mark. One should use one’s mouth or a suction cup if available, to suck and spit the venom. One should not be afraid of swallowing poison as snake venom does not act through the digestive tract. Keep crushed ice wrapped in cloth over the bite for two hours.

Get medical aid after the bite as soon as possible. Snake bite first aid method can also be found in first aid books in the local market.

SARAH IRFAN HYDER Karachi

Doctors helplessness

ON June 26, Rida Memon, a MBBS student on LUMHS from Tando Muhammad Khan, tired of attending classes and studying in the library, went to her hostel room to sleep.

Rida inadvertently lowered down her hand on the floor. A venomous snake, called Lundi (Khaper) in Sindhi and viper in English, entered the room through a space between the door and the floor and found Rida’s hand an easy prey and bit her.

Rida got up and saw slight bleeding from her hand and thought it was a normal insect bite. Nevertheless, she went to Liaquat Hospital and visited the casualty ward where the doctors on duty declared it to be a case of insect bite.

Not satisfied with the treatment, her sister, who shares the hostel room with her, took her to Isra University. The Isra University doctors got her blood tested in their laboratory and declared it a case of a snake bite. On suggestion from doctors there she was taken to the Civil Hospital, Hyderabad, where she was given ASV. Senior doctors attended to her but the reports gave depressing results.

The team of physicians decided to send her to Karachi to be admitted in one of the best private hospitals headed by a haematologist.

The administration of LUMHS sent Rs300,000 to the hospital in Karachi to meet with the expenses. That evening her condition deteriorated and she was kept on ventilator in the intensive care unit.

In the early hours of June 29, she breathed her last.

As a young boy I was bitten by a snake and in those days there was no ASV. However, my symptoms were different from Rida’s. When the viper bit my ankle, I immediately went into coma and came to my senses after 24 hours to find my affected leg swollen and black. Blood was coming out from my nose, mouth and urine.

However, with the ancient way of treatment I was saved. Those bitten by viper (Khapar) hardly survive.

In this modern era when medical science is so advanced that even a liver can be transplanted, why are doctors helpless in a case like that of Rida?

C. S. BHATIA Hyderabad