In seven districts of the Tarai -- Jhapa, Morang, Sunsari, Siraha, Sarlahi, Nawalparasi and Kapilvastu -- the number of those treated for snakebite at the Nepal Army health posts in last five months has reached 1,196 by Sunday. [break]
As per an NA report, the locals are mostly suffering from cobra, karait and green viper bites.
The figure has been derived from ten NA-run snakebite relief health centers in the Tarai region, which include Charali in Jhapa, Itahari in Sunsari, Letang in Morang, Chauhabi and Bandipur in Siraha, Nawalpur in Sarlahi, Parasi in Nawalparasi and Gorusinghe, Chanauta and Budhaniya in Kapilvastu district.
In Itahari, while four people were treated for poisonous snakebite last fiscal year, this year the number has reached seven. Similarly, those suffering from non-poisonous snakebite rose from 168 last year to 170 so far this year.
In Jhapa, of the 563 people treated so far, two succumbed to snakebites this year at Charali center. Last year, seven deaths occurred in this district out of 1,106 people treated for snakebites by the army center. The center has treated 130 patients this year. Just last month, 67 people were treated for non-poisonous bites and six for poisonous ones.
In Siraha´s two health posts, 800-900 people have been treated so far this year. Army has claimed that it has treated 8,000 victims in Chauhabi and Bandipur centers since its establishment in 2058 BS [2001].
In Nawalpur in Sarlahi district, 160 people have been treated for snakebites in the last two months alone, the Army figures reveal.
It has been noticed that the locals in Tarai are bitten by snakes during their siesta times, while working in the fields or when they go to answer the call of nature in open areas. Most deaths occur as locals take victims to shamans instead of nearby health posts. Also, deaths occur due to lack of knowledge about immediate bite measures and unavailability of transport.
Experts say people do not know simple measures to adopt like tying cloth in single bone when one gets bitten by poisonous snake.
NA´s spokesperson, Brigadier General Ramindra Chettri, said, “Deaths due to snake bites occur when people make too much movement after being bitten and go to dhami and jhakari.”
Stating that the number of people visiting NA centers have drastically gone up over the last few years, he said, “Nepal Army has been running ten centers providing free of cost services to the people,” adding, “Even people from India visit the centers.”
One government statistics claims that each year some 150 deaths occur due to snakebites in Nepal.
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