Humans and Reptiles Battle As Plateau, Gombe Snakebite Deaths Soar
- Nigerians in large numbers are getting bit by snakes as a result of the current devastating floods ravaging the country
- According to report, the floods force snakes to migrate or carry them along and deposit them in the forests, homes or over river banks
- Meanwhile, a former Chief Medical Director of the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital also decried the shortage of ASV in the treatment centres
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In a scary development, more cases of snakebites have been reported across the country. This is as a result of the current flood in some parts of the country.
The News Agency of Nigeria who visited areas prone to snakebites and the treatment centres, found a sharp rise in the cases, with more deaths recorded as floods had blocked access to treatment centres.
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Among those killed was the wife of the village head of Magama in Langtang South Local Government of the Plateau State.
“Yes, I can confirm that there is a huge rise in snakebite cases; one of the victims was the wife of the village head of Magama."
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“It is a scary situation. Snakes and humans are all running away from the floods and would usually clash in the dry lands in the struggle for space,” Dr Nandul Durfa told NAN.
Durfa, Managing Director, Echitap Group, producers of Anti-Snake Venom (ASV) regretted that many lives were being lost to the menace.
The former Chief Medical Director of the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital also decried the shortage of ASV in the treatment centres.
NAN also spoke with Dr Abubakar Saidu Balla, Research Officer, Snakebite Research Hospital, Kaltungo in Gombe State, who also described the situation further.
“Because of the devastating floods, farmlands are wet, and the snakes go to higher grounds where they mix with people.
“The situation is worse in riverine areas around Borno, Adamawa, Kogi, Gombe and Bauchi.
“The floods force snakes to migrate or carry them along and deposit them in the forests, homes or over river banks.
“The situation is worsened by the fact that victims cannot go to medical centres to get attention because the roads and bridges have either been washed away or flooded.
“In the rural areas, motorcycles usually help but they cannot ride through the water now. Very often, victims reach treatment centres dead.”
Balla said it had become dangerous to go to the farms, especially in Gombe.
“It is time to harvest groundnuts and maize, but going to the farm is very dangerous now because snakebites are rampant.
“Farmers cannot leave their crops in the bush, so contact with the snakes is often inevitable,” he said.
Meanwhile, statistics from the hospital indicate that 1,900 victims of snake bites have been admitted since January.
According to Dr Suleiman Mohammed, its Chief Medical Officer, 34 of the victims died.
He said that most of the victims were herders and farmers who were mostly in the bush and usually at risk.
“When the rains get to the peak, we tend to have more patients because most of the snakes are dislodged from their holes and hiding places by the waters.
“So, when there is a flood, it is linked to incidents of snakebites because the flood tends to move the snakes away from their usual habitat, and they often go to areas where humans live.”
“My life has fallen apart”: Man who lost wife, 3 children in boat accident laments in powerful southeast state
Legit.ng earlier reported that tears have consumed Benard Achonu, a 60-year-old man from Anambra state who lost his wife and three children in the recent boat mishap in the state.
The family reportedly ran away from the flood that attacked their home and moved to another city free of the flood.
A boat reportedly carrying 80 passengers capsised at Umunnakwo in the Ogbaru local government area of the state.
Flood causes high inflation in Rivers, Bayelsa and Ebonyi states, fuel sells for N700/litre
Meanwhile, residents of Bayelsa, Rivers, and Ebonyi states have narrated their ordeal since the flood disaster hit two days ago.
According to them, basic amenities have been cut off, and food prices have hit the roof in those states.
They also described appalling situations where live reptiles, dislodged by the flood, have entered homes, and cemeteries washed up.
Source: Legit.ng
