8-Year-Old Boy from India Counterattacks with Fatal Bites After Deadly Cobra Planted One on Him First

INDIA — After being bitten by the deadly snake himself, an 8-year-old boy from India killed a cobra by biting it to death. The young man was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital, where he was treated for the bite with antivenom and later released.

When Deepak Ram was playing in his backyard, he allegedly got bitten by a snake. He claimed that the snake bit him after wrapping itself around his hand. Ram bit the reptile twice after trying to shake it off and failing while in excruciating pain.

The peculiar incident took place in the Jashpur District of the state of Chhattisgarh, which is also locally known as Naglok due to the area's dense population of snakes. Naglok means "realm of serpents."

Snakes of India

Over 60 of India's nearly 300 species of snakes are venomous. According to estimates from the World Health Organization, more than 1.2 million people died from snakebites in India between 2000 and 2019, more than in any other country.

Timothy Jackson, a toxicologist from the University of Melbourne's Australian Venom Research Unit, said that one of the main factors contributing to snakebite morbidity and mortality in South Asia is the Indian spectacled cobra or Naja naja.

Jackson added that despite the variety of cobra venoms, neurotoxins and cytotoxins are the most common and possibly the most clinically significant toxins. These are toxins that harm cells and toxins that interfere with the nervous system, such as by preventing cell signaling. As a result, neurotoxicity (paralysis) is the cobra-envenoming consequence that is most likely to cause death.

He added that due to the presence of cytotoxins, cobra venoms can also result in horrific tissue damage.

Snakebites are Defensive

According to Jackson, human bites from snakes almost always result from defensive reactions. Despite this, there are some exceptions. Some snake species sporadically bite people while they are sleeping in some areas, including India as well as sub-Saharan Africa. Both of the said regions face serious snakebite problems.

He continued that there is some disagreement as to why this happens, but it appears that these foraging snakes enter homes at night and bite people who smell sufficiently like other mammals to prompt a feeding response. They are likely searching for small mammals like mice.

Jackson said that cobras are one of the snakes that are known to every so often bite people in this way, though in India, kraits are usually the offenders.

In 2019, 63,000 people are estimated to have died from snakebites, and 51,000 of those deaths, according to a recent study published in Nature Communications, occurred in India.

The percentage of venomous animal deaths at the hands of snakes by location, sex, age, and year was modeled using this information.

The findings showed that South Asia, which includes Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh and extends from Afghanistan to Sri Lanka, was where the majority of deaths from venomous snakebites occurred.

In India, the mortality rate from snakebites was calculated to be four per 100,000 people, which is significantly greater than the global average of 0.8, Daily Mail reports.

Antivenom and Dry Bites

Antivenom needs to be applied right away to treat an Indian cobra bite effectively. Antivenom is made up of specific antibodies that bind to the toxins of the venom and render them harmless. Jackson pointed out that the moment they are bound, toxins may be rendered inactive or simply designated for removal by other immune system elements.

Not all cobra bites are fatal. Qaiser Hussain, a local snake expert from Jashpur, said that Deepak received a "dry bite" from the cobra, which means no venom was administered.

Jackson said that Deepak received a "dry bite" from the cobra, which means no venom was administered. There is no way to explain why dry bites occur so frequently in some venomous snake species or provide precise statistics, despite anecdotal evidence to the contrary. Therefore, it is recommended to assume that any bite from a snake that may be venomous should be handled as a serious emergency.

According to Jackson, to prevent snake bites, people should be knowledgeable about the local species and their ecologies to handle interactions. It is also crucial to avoid intending to catch or kill snakes.

He continued to say that Despite the best efforts, snakebites still happen, which is why it is crucial to have the right antivenoms on hand. For this to happen, the products must be produced and distributed efficiently. Additionally, he urges at-risk populations to engage in "health-seeking behavior" by visiting the hospital right away, Newsweek reports.