Save Lives of Snakebite Victims in Rural India

18-year-old Sangeeta was bitten in her foot by a cobra one August evening in her home in a tiny village in Chhattisgarh. She reached Anjali Health Centre (AHC) within an hour, but the venom had already spread and was starting to paralyse her body. Drooping eyelids, froth in her mouth, choking… She had reached the hospital just in time. Dr. Archana was just finishing supper when Sangeeta was brought in. This doctor has treated many snakebite patients but she remembers Sangeeta because of her amazing recovery.

Sangeeta was immediately given 10 vials of antivenom along with supportive meds and alternate suction-oxygen (AHC did not have a ventilator at that time). The response to timely and sufficient quantity of antivenom can be quite dramatic as was seen with Sangeeta. She showed signs of improvement within just 30 minutes and even began trying to help the doctor by mumbling “Idhar… idhar… (here… here…)” and slowly turning her head to direct suction! She was discharged from the hospital 3 days later.

But Sangeeta’s troubles were only beginning. The site of the snakebite on her foot had been badly affected by the venom with the tissue starting to die (necrosis). This eventually formed a wound almost the size of her open hand on the side of her foot around the site of the snakebite. She came every day to the hospital for the next 10-15 days to have dead tissue removed and get the wound disinfected and re-dressed. The wound had started to improve by then and Sangeeta was seen once a week for a couple of months until her family moved away from the area. 

Fortunately, necrotizing fasciitis as in Sangeeta’s case does not always occur, but when it does the patient suffers long and hard. The continuous wound care that such patients require can be a very big financial strain on the families and words cannot convey the mental and physical strain borne by the patient due to pain and disability.

Sangeeta has remained positive through all her pain and her smile is what keeps us going. We cannot thank you enough for choosing to support this project. Like Robert Frost said, this project also has many “miles to go”, and we have many more smiles to save - together.