ALLAFRICA

Gombe — Federal Government Snake Bite Treatment Center, Kaltungo Gombe State, has recorded three deaths and 189 reported cases of snake bites in one month, the medical officer in charge of the center, Dr. Saidu Ballah said over the weekend.

Dr Ballah said in Kaltungo while exchanging views with newsmen over the menace of snakes in Kaltungo and environs, that the deaths and the huge number of reported cases were only in March this year and the number of snake bites was expected to rise this month.

He added that during the hot period usually around March to April, the cases of snake bites escalated by the days because this was the period reptiles, particularly snakes, come out.

The doctor added that the Federal Government had already supplied the center with sufficient quantity of anti-snake venom last which they were still using till this year. He said the state government had also assisted the center with 60 viles of the anti-snake bite drugs.

According to the medical officer, his center had got in touch with the manufacturers of the anti-venom drugs for the supply of this year's consignment, and about 10,000 viles of the drugs was expected to be delivered to the center before the end of this year. He regretted that most of the drugs available in the market for the treatment of snake bite were identified to be fake, explaining that most of the patients that come to his center from Bauchi and Adamawa States were victims of the fake drugs which had saturated the market.

Ballah appealed to the health commissioners of neighbouring states to ensure that the anti-snake venom supplied to their respective states were that of United Kingdom but not those drugs made in India, which according to him were ineffective.