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Resisting snakes is more challenging - Sri Lanka Army
Over three hundred soldiers fall victim to snakes while on duty in 18 months
@ Sri Lanka Army; Web posted on 09 July 2002
Tropical snakes unlike other animals or reptiles are filled with venom in their stings or teeth and the number of annual deaths in Sri Lanka caused by snake-bites is one of the leading mortality rates, if not the highest in the South Asia region, judged by records available. The dry zone, its lush jungles and arid soil provides an oasis for these serpents to thrive on and breed as they wish but to minimize the incidence of snake-biting, there is hardly any preventive programme in place. Several research studies being carried out at medical level about the conversion of snake venom into serums have however borne fruit but not spread adequately across the country with their beneficial results, enabling the public to learn more about the danger of snakebites. However, anti-venom serum therapy is now proved successful in many instances, depending upon the kind of the snake and is widely administered in hospitals and elsewhere.
More surprisingly, soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army serving in the northeast of the country are also vulnerable to this hazard and find that resisting the attacks of snakes, is at times more dangerous and challenging than taking the enemy targets in the battlefield. A snakebite is naturally so fatal that the very thought of being stung by a snake makes one excessively nervous or terrified. Several years ago death was certain for a victim but not any more thanks to the good work of scientists and doctors. In the northeast, these stings generally happen at night when soldiers on duty at sentry points remain in total darkness in ambush.
Figures of snake-bites available in the Army confirm that in the past eighteen months, four soldiers had reportedly succumbed to their venomous attacks while they were on duty in the northeast of the country. Similarly, until the first week of July this year 318 soldiers including two officers who were stung by these deadly serpents survived these attacks but some of them had to stay on at hospital for months until their treatment was over.
A careful scrutiny on the number of snake-bite casualty figures among soldiers in the past two years shows that the period from June to November has generally recorded a daily average of about 20 incidences of snakebites. For instance, in June last year two officers and twenty seven soldiers were stung by serpents but the figure rose to 30 the following month. The casualty figure in this June was 21 while there were 28 casualties recorded equally for each month in October and November 2001.Four civil workers working for the Army too were among those victims. Many varieties of sand vipers, cobras and white scorpions are the most common but deadliest of all these snakes which are abundant in some areas.
Interestingly enough, a few of these snakes had been found dead in some instances after they infused their venom into human beings. Herpetologist Anslem de Silva maintains that snakes generally get excited and react instantaneously since they are exceptionally sensitive to their surroundings. Some snakes after their sting at their foes become immediately inflated due to some internal metabolism but die of the same process as it was not very natural for their normal body functions.
Though medicinal stocks made of anti-venom serums are easily available at disposal in the northeast, rescuing the life of a soldier bitten by a deadly snake is really a matter of hours and not days as experienced in many instances.
However, figures of snakebite casualties among soldiers reaffirm that this forgotten dimension to the life of a soldier in operational areas is phenomenally important and worth considering implementation of enforcing more and more preventive measures.
Resisting snakes is more challenging - Sri Lanka Army
Over three hundred soldiers fall victim to snakes while on duty in 18 months
@ Sri Lanka Army; Web posted on 09 July 2002
Tropical snakes unlike other animals or reptiles are filled with venom in their stings or teeth and the number of annual deaths in Sri Lanka caused by snake-bites is one of the leading mortality rates, if not the highest in the South Asia region, judged by records available. The dry zone, its lush jungles and arid soil provides an oasis for these serpents to thrive on and breed as they wish but to minimize the incidence of snake-biting, there is hardly any preventive programme in place. Several research studies being carried out at medical level about the conversion of snake venom into serums have however borne fruit but not spread adequately across the country with their beneficial results, enabling the public to learn more about the danger of snakebites. However, anti-venom serum therapy is now proved successful in many instances, depending upon the kind of the snake and is widely administered in hospitals and elsewhere.
More surprisingly, soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army serving in the northeast of the country are also vulnerable to this hazard and find that resisting the attacks of snakes, is at times more dangerous and challenging than taking the enemy targets in the battlefield. A snakebite is naturally so fatal that the very thought of being stung by a snake makes one excessively nervous or terrified. Several years ago death was certain for a victim but not any more thanks to the good work of scientists and doctors. In the northeast, these stings generally happen at night when soldiers on duty at sentry points remain in total darkness in ambush.
Figures of snake-bites available in the Army confirm that in the past eighteen months, four soldiers had reportedly succumbed to their venomous attacks while they were on duty in the northeast of the country. Similarly, until the first week of July this year 318 soldiers including two officers who were stung by these deadly serpents survived these attacks but some of them had to stay on at hospital for months until their treatment was over.
A careful scrutiny on the number of snake-bite casualty figures among soldiers in the past two years shows that the period from June to November has generally recorded a daily average of about 20 incidences of snakebites. For instance, in June last year two officers and twenty seven soldiers were stung by serpents but the figure rose to 30 the following month. The casualty figure in this June was 21 while there were 28 casualties recorded equally for each month in October and November 2001.Four civil workers working for the Army too were among those victims. Many varieties of sand vipers, cobras and white scorpions are the most common but deadliest of all these snakes which are abundant in some areas.
Interestingly enough, a few of these snakes had been found dead in some instances after they infused their venom into human beings. Herpetologist Anslem de Silva maintains that snakes generally get excited and react instantaneously since they are exceptionally sensitive to their surroundings. Some snakes after their sting at their foes become immediately inflated due to some internal metabolism but die of the same process as it was not very natural for their normal body functions.
Though medicinal stocks made of anti-venom serums are easily available at disposal in the northeast, rescuing the life of a soldier bitten by a deadly snake is really a matter of hours and not days as experienced in many instances.
However, figures of snakebite casualties among soldiers reaffirm that this forgotten dimension to the life of a soldier in operational areas is phenomenally important and worth considering implementation of enforcing more and more preventive measures.
