THRISSUR: At a time when the state remains in shock at the death of 10-year-old Shehla Sherin in Sultan Bathery following a snakebite, a wound on the foot of a nine-year-old student in a Chalakudy school raised suspicion of a similar incident causing panic on Tuesday.
Jerald, a Class 4 student of Carmel CMI Higher Secondary School, was rushed to St James Hospital at Chalakudy after he complained of a wound on his leg suspected to be caused by snakebite. Keeping in mind of the incident in Wayanad, the school authorities took the child to the nearest hospital without delay. The local hospital couldn’t identify if it was a snakebite and hence referred him to Angamaly Little Flower Hospital.
“We took the child accompanied by his father Jaison to the hospital at Angamaly. He is under observation at the hospital while the blood test conducted twice proved negative for the presence of venom,” said Jose P V, an office staff at the school. The school principal and the boy’s parents were at the hospital.
During the last interval time, all lower primary students were allowed to play in the ground and Jerald was one among them. “We didn’t want to take any risk, so we took him to the hospital. We have been getting several calls following reports about the incident, but the child’s condition is normal now,” added a school official.