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The Chief Medical Officer of the Snakebite Treatment Hospital in Kaltungo, Gombe State has blamed the delay in reporting snakebite cases to the hospital by patients’ relatives.
He spoke in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Friday in Kaltungo town in Kaltungo Local Government Area of the state.
According to Haman, prompt and timely referral of snakebite cases makes treatment easier and reduces the number of deaths.
He noted that delay in case referral is one of the major challenges faced by facilities, adding that early reporting of snakebite cases would reduce deaths and complications and save more lives. Ta.
“Some people spent 15 to 20 days at home before reporting their snakebite to the hospital.
“The 15-year-old girl who was taken to the hospital last week spent 15 days at home before reporting the snakebite incident.
“By the time they brought her in, it was already too late and the poison had affected her organs, so we couldn’t save her life.
“Most snakebite patients are tenant farmers and cattle herders far from social comforts. They treat snakebites with concoctions that can wreak further havoc on the patient. ” he said.
He urged patients to promptly refer their cases for effective clinical analysis to confirm whether the bite was caused by a snake, squirrel or something else.
Haman said 28 of the 30 snakebite deaths recorded in 2023 were reported late to hospitals.
He said the hospital recorded 62 snakebites in January, an average of two a day, compared to eight to nine at the peak.
He believes the decline in cases is because snakes become less active in the cold when they pronate.
“Typically, there are fewer snakebites from November to January due to the weather.
“The reason it lasts until February is because the weather has completely changed. It’s still cold in February,” he explained.
He said the facility had a stock of anti-snake venom injections that would last until September, adding that it had received 150 vials from the Federal Ministry of Health and another 1,200 vials from the North East Development Board. .
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