Plateau: Langtang-North Healthcare Centre Records 1,500 Cases of Snake Bite in 10 Months

By Seriki Adinoyi in Jos.

A health centre in Zamko, Langtang North Local Government of Plateau State, on Wednesday said it has recorded at least 1,500 cases of snake bites in the last 10 months, adding that most of the cases are youths who went hunting, and dipping hands into rat holes in the process.

Dr Istifanus Bako, a doctor with the centre who disclosed this in an interview with journalists, added that other victims include farmers and cattle rearers tending their flocks.

He said that the number had continued to rise with more patients brought in on a daily basis

“On the average, we record three to four cases daily; on particularly bad days, we record about 5 to 10.

“The patients keep coming and we have run out of bed space. Some are admitted and accommodated on benches and corridors,” he said.

Bako, however, said that only two deaths had been recorded this year, unlike in 2015 when more than 10 deaths were recorded.

He blamed the two deaths on the late presentation of the cases.

“The victims did not come to the hospital early as they first visited a traditional doctor and found that it was not helping their situation.

“Such delays usually lead to intra-cranial haemorrhage; when that happens, the efficacy of our anti-venom, transfusion, vitamin K and other treatments we offer here could be affected,” he explained.