Snake attacks have suddenly increased in the five upazilas of Madaripur. In one year 353 people were bitten by snakes, and eight of them died. People in Shibchar upazila were the worst affected.

According to hospital sources, 353 people were bitten by snakes in the five upazilas from January to December this year. Of them, 104 were admitted to the 250-bed district hospital in Madaripur Sadar, 209 to Shibchar Upazila Health Complex, 15 to Kalkini Upazila Health Complex and 25 to Rajoir Upazila Health Complex. Of these, 85 were bitten by venomous snakes.

Madaripur lawyer Rezaul Karim told Jago News: "Many people still take someone bitten by a snake to a snake charmer before the hospital. This wastes time and the patient gets sicker. By the time they reach hospital it is often too late. Patients must be brought to hospital as soon as they are bitten. That will reduce the risk to their lives."

Farzana Akter Munni, founder of the local organisation Jago Unnayan Sangstha, said: "Awareness programmes, including courtyard meetings, gatherings and leaflets in schools and colleges, must be taken up in the villages, especially in the char areas of Shibchar upazila. That will raise awareness among people."

Dr Zahirul Islam Khan Firoz, head of the paediatrics department at Madaripur 250-bed District Hospital, described one case of villagers' lack of awareness: "A two-year-old child bitten by a snake was brought to us. We quickly examined the child and realised it was a venomous snake. When we got ready to give antivenom, the child's guardians would not allow it. They forcibly took the child away from the hospital. In that condition the child urgently needed antivenom. So awareness must be raised in the villages. Otherwise many lives will be lost to ignorance."

The hospital's resident medical officer (RMO), Dr Mohammad Nurul Islam, said many people still believe a snakebite can be cured by a snake charmer's treatment. But if a snakebite patient is brought to hospital quickly and given antivenom, the patient recovers. Many people do not want to understand this, he said.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.