Anti-venom vaccines for Thakurgaon hospitals

People bitten by poisonous snakes are dying due to lack of treatment in Thakurgaon hospitals. At least three people have died from snake bite in this district in July. If the snake vaccines are not made available with the hospitals in the district at the earliest, the number of deaths may increase in the future. Last May, a primary school headmaster who was bitten by a snake died at Thakurgaon Sadar Hospital due to a lack of treatment. However, even after that incident, vaccine was not supplied to other upazila health complexes in the district. Nor the health facilities took any initiative to procure the same. As a result, due to a lack of treatment, snake-bitten men and women in remote areas are dying. As there is no vaccine to treat snakebite in hospitals, common people are taking patients to Ojha (traditional healers). Many people are being bitten by snakes while harvesting crops. The number of snake-bitten people increases during the rainy season. It is, thus, not understood why health complexes are not procuring this important vaccine.

Ashikujaman Syed

Research Assistant

Bioinformatics Research Lab

Center for Research Innovation and Development (CRID)

syedashikujaman@yahoo.com