KOTTAYAM: Recurrent neurotoxic envenomation, wherein the venom resumes affecting a person bitten by a venomous creature after he/she has been given the antivenom, is extremely rare. Normally, timely administration of antivenom to such a patient prevents envenomation.
Yet, recurrent envenomation was what happened to Vava Suresh, who was bitten by a cobra in Kurichy here. And this was why doctors at the Kottayam Medical College Hospital had to administer a second dose of antivenom to the snake catcher. Did Suresh know what was happening to him? While being rushed to the hospital after he was bitten, he told his associate in the car, “This time, I may not come back,” before falling unconscious. Yet, he made it, after one week of treatment.
Normally, a snakebite victim can be saved with 25 to 30 vials of antivenom, if administered in time. “Suresh was given 30 vials at first. However, his condition worsened and he fell unconscious nearly 24 hours after he was brought here. We gave him another 25 vials of antivenom,” said Dr Ratheesh Kumar R, a critical care specialist at the MCH who was a member of the medical board that handled Suresh’s treatment.
Discharged on Monday, Suresh first thanked Cooperation Minister V N Vasavan. “Like God, Vasavan sir arrived at Bharath Hospital in Kottayam and took me to the MCH. His timely intervention saved my life. It may be the first time in the world that a minister and his vehicle escorted a common man. Though I was unconscious, I was told about the efforts the minister took for me,” Suresh said. He said he had no words to describe the care and treatment he received at the MCH.
Resident medical officer at the MCH Dr R P Renjin said Suresh was brought to the hospital in extremely critical condition. Ratheesh said: “Admitted around 6pm last Monday, Suresh got better by midnight. We were relieved when he started responding in the morning. However, things got bad by evening due to recurrent envenomation. Now, he has recovered and can return to normal life after one-month rest,” said Dr Ratheesh.
On January 17, Suresh injured his spine in a car accident and was advised rest. However, he could not stay at home when Kurichy grama panchayat member B R Manjeesh sought his help in catching a cobra. “We did not know about the accident. He accepted our request and came without considering his health,” Manjeesh said.
Suresh later told mediapersons that he will not try to catch snakes without taking required safety measures. “I will continue my work till my last breath. I will return to catching snakes after regaining my health completely,” a determined Suresh said.