730 snake bites in four months

> Heatwave blamed for the increase, govt advice on dealing with such cases

PUTRAJAYA: There has been a total of 730 cases of snake bites in the country from January to April 26 and one death in Kelantan, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam ( pix).

“There has been a spike in these cases because snakes are coming out of their habitats due to the unbearable heat.

“We advise victims of snake bites to not do anything other than call an ambulance or seek urgent emergency medical treatment. They shouldn’t tamper with their bite,” he said in a press conference yesterday.

He explained that the doctors working in the emergency medical units will decide to administer anti-venom according to the severity of the poison: the speed of its spread or its systemic manifestations or effect to the limb.

Subramaniam also added that there are 139 hospitals in the country stocked with the anti-venom and added that hospitals are the only places where anti-venoms are allowed to be administered.

The states recording the highest number of bites are Kedah with 195 cases and Perak with 107.

Subramaniam was speaking at a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing ceremony between the Malaysian Anaesthesiologist college and its Irish counterpart, the Ireland Anaesthesiologist College at the Health Ministry here.

He said the MoU will open channels for local doctors to gain expertise in the field from Ireland.

Subramaniam said there is a shortage of anaesthesiologists in the country.

“We have 487 in the country currently, there is a shortage of around 200,” he said.