A woman trying to save her husband after he was bitten by a venomous cobra was herself poisoned. Following a method she had seen on television, she tried to suck the venom out of his wound with her mouth. Both husband and wife then had to be admitted to hospital. The incident happened in Yunnan province in south-western China.

According to a report by China's Jimu News, a farmer in Yuanyang county, Yunnan, was bitten on the finger by a cobra while working in the fields. Within a short time his finger swelled up and he felt dizzy and weak.

His panicked wife, copying what she had seen on television, tried to suck the venom from the wound with her mouth, without any kind of protection. The injured farmer was then taken to hospital.

A few hours later, however, the woman developed numbness in her mouth, tongue, face, hands and feet. The next day she became extremely weak and her family took her to hospital as well.

Doctors at the Honghe Prefecture Third People's Hospital said both husband and wife had been poisoned by the venom of a local cobra species. They were given antivenom and other necessary treatment, and both were discharged after their condition improved over several days.

The doctors said the idea of sucking venom out of a snakebite by mouth is completely wrong. Venom can quickly enter the rescuer's body through the fine blood vessels inside the mouth. And because snakebite wounds are usually very small, drawing venom out this way is almost impossible.

They added that cutting the wound to let blood out, burning it or applying ice are also dangerous, as these raise the risk of infection or heavy bleeding.

For a snakebite, the doctors advise moving as little as possible and getting emergency treatment quickly. Remembering the snake's colour, markings or head shape, or taking a photograph from a safe distance if possible, makes it easier to choose the right antivenom.

Snakebites often make the news in China. In May, a schoolboy in Guangdong province who was bitten by a snake did not take it seriously at first; doctors later said that a delay of another hour or two could have stopped his breathing.

The Yunnan incident has also sparked wide discussion on social media. One user wrote that what is shown in TV dramas is not always safe in real life. Another commented that at least it shows the wife loves her husband very much.

The report cites the South China Morning Post as its source.

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