Four-year-old girl critical after cobra bite while playing in Kasaragod
A four-year-old girl is in critical condition in the UK after a cobra bite while playing. The incident occurred in a courtyard, and the child is receiving treatment at a medical college.
A four-year-old girl is in critical condition in the UK after a cobra bite while playing. The incident occurred in a courtyard, and the child is receiving treatment at a medical college.
A four-year-old girl is in critical condition in the UK after a cobra bite while playing. The incident occurred in a courtyard, and the child is receiving treatment at a medical college.
Kasaragod: A four-year-old girl is in critical condition after being bitten by a cobra while playing in a courtyard at Elerithattu in West Eleri panchayat on Monday, April 27.
The child, Rithu Chandra, daughter of Sharath Chandran, a daily wage labourer, and Ajitha, a homemaker, belongs to a Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe settlement at Thotti Unnathi. She is currently in the ICU at Kannur Government Medical College Hospital, Pariyaram, under close observation. “Her condition is serious,” said Santhikripa, the girl’s neighbour and former representative of Eleri ward.
She said Rithu was playing with other children, including her younger brother, in a relative’s courtyard when the incident occurred around noon. As the children played, a ball rolled to the edge of the compound. When Rithu went to retrieve it, a cobra hiding in a burrow struck.
Family members rushed after hearing her sudden cries and spotted the snake nearby. Residents later killed the cobra.
She was first taken to a nearby hospital, where initial treatment was administered, and then shifted to the medical college. Hospital sources said swelling was observed at the bite site, and anti-venom was administered without delay.
Doctors said cobra venom attacks the nervous system. In severe cases, it can lead to paralysis, breathing failure and, if untreated, death within hours. Early administration of anti-venom and respiratory support is critical to survival.
Officials, including forest department personnel, visited the site and conducted an inspection. Residents who had initially shared images of the dead snake later deleted them, fearing legal consequences.
Santhikripa said the area, reeling under intense heat, received two recent pre-monsoon showers last week, and the snake must have come to the human habitation in search of moisture. “Otherwise, this area doesn’t usually report snake sightings,” she said.
The incident comes amid a worrying spate of snakebite deaths in Kerala. In the past week alone, six people have died. On Sunday, two elderly women — Vishalakshi (75) from Thodupuzha in Idukki and Nafeesa (70) from Pattuvam in Kannur — succumbed to snakebites. Other recent victims include Indira (65) and Saleena (42) from Alappuzha, Dikshal (8) from Thiruvananthapuram, and Aljo (8) from Thrissur.