Malappuram: A seven-year-old boy, who had been undergoing treatment after a snakebite, passed away at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital on Thursday.

The boy, Nasal, a native of Mele Aripra near Mankada in Malappuram district, was a Class I student of Melmuri LP School, Aripra.

According to relatives, Nasal was bitten by a snake nearly two weeks ago while visiting his maternal ancestral home in Kizhissery during the school vacation. The incident reportedly occurred early in the morning when the family was preparing to leave for a leisure trip and the child stepped outside the house.

Doctors suspect that the bite was from a Hump-nosed Pit Viper (Hypnale hypnale), a highly venomous snake that is rarely reported in Kerala and is more commonly found in Sri Lanka. Despite intensive treatment, efforts to save the child were unsuccessful.

Medical sources said the absence of a specific anti-venom for the Hump-nosed Pit Viper complicated treatment. The species is considered highly venomous and can cause severe medical complications, including kidney failure and internal bleeding.