Medical professionals, public educated on snakes of the region at Government Headquarters Hospital, Pollachi

Hosp. in Pollachi rec. 201 snakebite cases this yr. Awareness session held to educate public on identifying venomous/non-venomous snakes, bite marks & dos/don'ts. Venomous snakes like spectacled cobra, common krait, Russell's viper & saw-scaled viper found in region. Hosp. staff trained to handle emergencies & initiate treatment swiftly.

COIMBATOREThe Government District Headquarters Hospital, Pollachi, is receiving cases of snakebites every other day, on an average, as a total of 201 persons who had snakebite were admitted to the hospital so far this year. However, the majority of the victims were unable to identify the snake that bit them, according to the hospital administration. 

To educate the medical professionals and the public about snakes of the region, the hospital in association with the Wild Habitat Conservation Trust organised an awareness session as part of observing the International Snakebite Awareness Day on Tuesday.  

“Victims of snakebites often come to the hospital without identifying the snake. In a few cases, they bring the snake or elders who accompany them tell the name of the snake. Knowing the type of snake that inflicted the bite will help doctors initiate the right treatment as soon as the patients arrive,” says S. Vanaja, Head of the Department of Medicine.

According to her, the hospital receives bite victims of vipers (russell’s viper and saw-scaled viper) the most. She said the hospital has adequate stocks of anti-venom to handle bites for four major venomous snakes, namely spectacled cobra, common krait,  russell’s viper and saw-scaled viper.

“The awareness session mainly aimed at educating people on identifying venomous and non-venomous snakes, how to identify their bite marks and the dos and don’ts to be followed in case of a snake bite,” said S.A. Syed Aamir from Wild Habitat Conservation Trust.  

According to him, places in the Pollachi region such as Anamalai, Valparai, Aliyar and Udumalpet have a high presence of snakes due to the geographic conditions. People should be careful about spectacled cobra, common krait, Russell’s viper and saw-scaled viper in these places as they live in human habitations and agricultural fields, he added.