No fewer than 51 persons died of snake bites in Kaltungo Local Government Area of Gombe State between August and September last year because of non-availability of anti-snake venom for the treatment of patients, says Medical Director in charge of Federal Government Snake Bite T0reatment Centre, Kaltungo, Dr. Saidu Abubakar Ballah.

Saidu, who disclosed this to journalists while conducting them round the centre, said the centre is now being supplied with the drugs, stressing that snake bites have minimized.

He said a break down of the number of the drugs showed that Federal Government had since last year placed orders for the supply of 10,000 vials, while the Gombe State government had acquired over 600 vials.

He explained that the batch of 5,500 vials of the Federal Government drugs was being expected in the state.

The medical director pointed out that Gombe State government had already supplied 60 vials to the centre to take care of patients, while additional vials would be supplied on request.

Dr. Saidu Ballah noted that the centre presently had enough anti-snake venom to treat patients going to the centre for assistance unlike between August and September last year when it ran out of the drugs, which resulted in the death of 51 patients, the highest in its history.

He noted that the centre recorded about 200 patients last month because of intense heat out of which three died because they were brought very late.

The medical officer said the centre had within the last three years recorded over 600 patients (an average of 2,000 patients annually), while the number of deaths varies based on the availability of drugs and how early patients were moved in.

Ballah explained that between 60 to 70 per cent of the patients came from neigbouring states of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Taraba and Yobe for assistance.

He however cautioned state governments against the indiscriminate purchase of snake bite drugs, which had in most cases been found not to be highly effective on the kind of snakes in Nigeria.

The medical officer argued that the drugs they were using for the treatment of patients at the centre were the outcome of a highly professional research on Nigerian snakes between experts from United Kingdom and Nigeria, while the drugs were presently produced in England.

Ballah however pointed out that arrangements had reached advanced stage for the establishment of another manufacturing plant in Kaltungo with the assistance of the United Kingdom through the Federal Ministry of Health.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201004261171.html

Snakes* real murder phucker^