The Backdrop
Imagine, a few years back, a man walking back to his home after a day of hard labour, steps accidentally on something cold and shiny, out in the dark. The end. He gets bit by a venomous snake. Screaming in agony and pain, he is taken to the Shaman, who desperately tries to save the man. And eventually, the man dies out of torment and suffering. As the sole bread earner of the family, he left his wife and two kids to suffer.
Snakes & Statistics
Snakes are probably one of the most fierce and frightening creatures that mother nature has ever produced. There are over 3,000 species of snakes on Earth and they are found everywhere except Antarctica, Iceland, Ireland, Greenland and New Zealand. About 600 species are toxic, and only about 200 species (7%) are capable of killing or seriously injuring a person.
What is Antivenom?
The only cure of snake bite is antivenom. Antivenom is a specific treatment for envenomation. Antivenom is traditionally made by injecting small amounts of venom of certain species into a domestic animal, and the antibodies that are formed by the body of that animal are collected and purified, and injected to the snake bite victim.
India is famous for its broad spectrum of wildlife, including snakes. India has seen an estimated 1.2 million (12 lakh) snakebite deaths from 2000 to 2019, an average of 58,000 per year. India accounts for nearly 50% of global snakebite deaths.
The Man, The Legend
Dr. Surajit Giri, a senior anaesthesiologist from Sivasagar district of Assam, has become a messiah for the snakebite victims. He is leaving no stones unturned to save the patients who have been bit by venomous snakes. He along with his team in Demow Model Hospital cum CHC, follows certain protocols, with the help of which more than 1200 snakebite victims has been cured. On 2021, Demow CHC celebrated 0 deaths with the tally of 464 snake bites, which is really commendable.
Dr. Giri, who in his mid twenties saw a 40 years-old lady dying of snakebite, and was distraught by that incident started to read about snakebite and antivenom. He, along with his team has set up a two-bed snakebite victim observation room in Demow CHC, with antivenoms, adrenaline shots and everything that is needed as soon as the patient arrives, so that no time is wasted to collect the medicines from the pharmacy. Time is the most important factor, says Dr. Giri. If the person is injected with antivenom within half an hour after the snakebite, the victim can be saved, even if the snake is cobra itself.
“In India, antivenom is made from the venom of four snakes — cobra, krait, Russel’s viper and saw-scaled viper. Antivenom made from the venom of these snakes can cure victims bitten by these snakes,” he says. He asks people not to panic after snakebite, but to take proper precautionary measures like not to tie the wound, not to apply any soap or anything, not to try sucking out the blood, and specifically not to go to the faith healers. Time is essence, keeping that in mind the victim should be rushed to the nearest hospital immediately.
Dr. Giri has become a pioneer in protecting snakebite victims, and has become an inspiration to many. The society needs more people like Dr. Giri, to make the world a better place to live.
Written by-
Abhinav Bharali,
Journalist
