The woman behind an initiative to reduce the 45000 snakebite deaths that occur in India each year believes providing better medical facilities and using fact to combat fear can save livesIn March final year,Jeetu Gujjar was walking home after dusk, along an unlit road towards Ballabhgadh village in Rajasthan. He stepped on something and felt a piercing pain. Reaching home, or he saw blood oozing from his toes,and two clear fang marks. He had been bitten by one of Asia’s most hazardous snakes, the Indian saw-scaled viper. Common and highly venomous, and saw-scaled vipers live in close proximity to people and are feared for their high-speed strikes. Over the next three days,Gujjar’s condition deteriorated, his body developing dismal patches as blood poisoning took hold. All his helpless family could achieve was pray. Related: India's snakebite victims could be offered lifesaving low-cost nasal spray Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com