Snake Expert Dr Mark Ofua Explains What You Should Do If You Suddenly Come Face-to-Face with Snake
- Dr Mark Ofua, a snake expert and veterinarian who has been practising since 2014, has shared a life-saving move you should make when you suddenly come across a snake
- In an exclusive interview with Legit.ng, Dr Mark, founder of Saint Mark's Animal Hospital in Lagos, stated that snakebite is avoidable
- In the case of the late singer Ifunanya 'Nanyah' Nwangene, he explained the reactive response that the hospital should have made to save her life
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Following the tragic death of Abuja singer Ifunanya 'Nanyah' Nwangene, who was killed by a snakebite, Dr Mark Ofua, a snake expert, has offered advice on what people should do when they suddenly confront a snake.
Speaking exclusively with Legit.ng, Dr Mark, said that snakebite is actually avoidable.
Source: Original
What to do when confronting a snake
According to Dr Mark, when you suddenly confront a snake, remain still or freeze. The snake expert said the snake would flee when it sees you in this state, adding that it won't bite.
"Snakebite is avoidable. If you suddenly confront a snake, remain still. Freeze. The snake will run away. It will not bite."
In a case when there is a snakebite, Dr Mark said that killing the snake would not be important, as such a move could cause more harm to the snakebite victim, and he explained why.
"If bitten, it’s not important to kill the snake. Such action can cause more damage. Snakes have the ability to give a dry bite…. i.e., they can bite and not inject venom, or inject little venom, and an attack may result in a full bite."
He encouraged people not to panic when bitten by a snake, as panic increases the spread of the venom when bitten by a venomous snake.
"If bitten, try not to panic, as it will encourage the rapid flow of the venom if the bite is a venomous bite. Immobilise the bite site of the victim and get the victim to a qualified hospital."
What hospital should have done for Nanyah
Speaking further, Dr Mark, founder of Saint Mark's Animal Hospital in Lagos, shared his thoughts on how Nanyah passed away after she was bitten by a snake.
While noting that the standard care for a snakebite remains the hospital, he pointed out that local remedies and self-care are ineffective.
"The standard care for a snakebite victim remains the hospital. Local remedies and self-care have proven ineffective, and delays in trying these solutions often result in loss of critical time that would reduce success rates for victims.
"Even the hospital personnel would have to be trained in proper responses to presentations of snakebite victims.
"The lack of specific antivenins and trained professionals in the field is largely the cause of death or limb loss from snakebite cases."
He tackled the Abuja hospital for allowing Nanyah run from one hospital to the other despite her condition, which definitely hastened her demise.
Dr Mark emphasised the need for training and retraining of hospital personnel to handle such matters, should there be a recurrence in the future.
"In the case of the lady victim, the hospital should have instituted supportive care/therapy while they liaise with other hospitals or even government hospitals or the NCDC or even snake experts like us for the relevant antivenom!
"Allowing her to be running from pillar to post in her condition definitely hastened her demise without doubt. There’s a huge need for training, retraining and continuing education in this field."
Source: Original
In a related story, Legit.ng reported that a snake expert, Dr Mark Ofua, had mentioned four important signs that a snake might be in your room or house.
Ways to keep snakes away from house
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that a snake expert, Dr Mark Ofua, had highlighted the practical ways to keep snakes away from your house and compound.
Dr Mark, founder of Saint Mark's Animal Hospital in Lagos, has said there are numerous ways to prevent snakes from gaining access into the house. Speaking exclusively with Legit.ng, Dr Mark, the West African rep for Wild Africa, a conservation communications NGO, noted that every snake we see is either hunting or finding a place of refuge.
He stated that having this knowledge beforehand makes it easy to prevent snakes from entering the homes. On the practical approaches to keep snakes away, he said the first step is environmental sanitation.
Proofreading by Kola Muhammed, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
