PHO cites first aid procedure for snake bite
LINGAYEN—If bitten by a snake, apply the first aid procedure by using a tourniquet then rush the victim to a government hospital for anti-venom shot.
One fatality was recorded last week because no tourniquet was used on the victim, a farmer in San Natividad, before he was brought to the hospital in San Carlos City, and the anti-venom shot could no longer help.
According to the health office data, number of snakebite cases was higher last year, with 13 cases from January to August 14, compared to this year, of the same comparative period, with eight cases.
Meanwhile, provincial health officer Dr. Anna De Guzman, admitted that the province has a limited supply of anti-venom shots because the Research Institute of Tropical Medicine (RITM), the manufacturer of anti-venom ampules in the country, allocates limited supply to every province.
She said only 100 ampules are being allotted to the 14 public hospitals in the province. Of the number, there are only 30 available.
Fortunately, the health officer said most snakes in the country are not poisonous. (Johanne Macob)
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