Kasaragod: A four-year-old girl, who was bitten by a cobra while playing in the courtyard of a relative’s house in West Eleri panchayat, succumbed on Thursday after three days of battling for her life. 

Rithu Chandra, daughter of Sharath Chandran, a daily wage labourer, and Ajitha, a homemaker, of Thotti Unnathi in Eleri ward, was in intensive care since the bite on Monday. She was initially rushed to the Payyannur Baby Memorial Hospital for first aid, accompanied by a doctor from the local Family Health Centre, and then shifted to the Kannur Government Medical College Hospital, Pariyaram, where she was administered polyvalent antivenom.

Despite continuous ICU care, her condition did not improve. On Wednesday afternoon, she was moved to Aster MIMS, Kannur, for advanced support. She died around noon on Thursday.

C P Suresh, a former West Eleri panchayat member who remained at the hospital and spoke to the medical team, said the doctors indicated that the child had likely suffered severe brain injury on the day of the bite itself. 

“They told us the neurotoxic venom had already compromised her breathing early on. Even though the antivenom was given, the lack of oxygen to the brain appears to have caused irreversible damage,” he said, adding that over the next two days, the venom affected her other organs, culminating in cardiac failure.

Doctors said cobra venom interferes with nerve signals to muscles, including those that control breathing. When breathing stops or becomes inadequate, oxygen supply to the brain falls sharply. If not restored quickly, this can lead to brain damage and, if prolonged, brain death.

Rithu Chandra was bitten on the index finger. The injury to her finger was deep, said Suresh. Doctors said the quantity of venom delivered was significant relative to her body size. "Rithu never recovered after the bite," he said.

The incident occurred around noon on Monday, when Rithu was playing with other children. A ball rolled towards the edge of the compound, and when she went to retrieve it, a cobra hiding in a burrow struck. Family members rushed in on hearing her cries. The snake was later killed by residents.

The death adds to a string of recent snakebite fatalities in Kerala. In the past week alone, six people have died. On April 26, 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.