Five-yr-old survives snake's 'kiss of death'

Navi Mumbai: A five-year-old girl from Uran, Shreya Mhatre, made a near miraculous recovery after she was bitten on her lip by a venomous krait snake while sleeping at home. On June 10 at around 11.30pm, Shreya, who was sleeping on the floor of her house, woke up with a start and complained of giddiness and pain in her stomach. "We noticed that Shreya's lower lip had swelled up a lot and she had started frothing from her mouth.Just a few minutes later a small blue-black coloured krait was seen slithering out of our house," said her father, Gorakshnath Mhatre.
He immediately informed his relative Gorakhnath Mhatre, who works with the NGO Sarpa Mitra (Friends of Snakes). "From the symptoms of the girl and the description of the snake seen at their house, I immediately knew that Shreya needed anti-venom within an hour's time, since the krait is a highly venomous snake," he said. He rushed the girl to the rural hospital in Uran, however the doctor there only administered an anti-venom saline drip to Shreya instead of an emergency injection. "The venom of a krait is neurotoxic, just like that of a cobra, which causes great pain and tissue damage. We rushed Shreya late at night to Vashi's NMMC hospital but doctors there advised us to take her to Sir JJ Hospital in Mumbai," he said. He was constantly in touch with snake expert Dr Himmatrao Baviskar on phone for medical advice.
She was kept at the ICU of Sir JJ hospital for five days, before being shifted to the general ward when her condition stabilised. "The doctors told us that it was almost a miracle that Shreya survived the snakebite on her lip. It was all thanks to timely medical intervention and God's blessings,'' said her relieved father.
Shreya, who is in senior KG, was visibly excited on Monday at the prospect of going to school. She was eagerly covering her notebooks with brown paper, and had no recollection about her near-death experience. "We have not really told her about the snakebite; she thinks that some insect had bitten her. The snake specialist from Mahad in Raigad district, Dr Himmatrao Baviskar, informed us that kraits normally tend to come near sleeping people at night to gain some of their body heat. If the sleeping person turns around on the snake, it can bite back,'' said Gorakhnath.
It is also rare that a snake should bite the lips, as they usually attack the legs or hands of their victims. So, it would not be wrong to say that Shreya survived the deathly 'kiss' of a krait.
Types of Snake Venom:
Snake and scorpion specialist, Dr Himmatrao Baviskar, said there were broadly two types of snake venoms: Haemotoxic and Neurotoxic. Apart from these, there is also Cytotoxic venom which causes localised effects
The snake venom is basically made up of various types of enzymes and proteins.
Hemotoxic Venoms: These attack the cardiovascular system. The venom typically acts to lower blood pressure and encourage blood clotting and may also attack the heart muscle and cause death. The victim's blood starts to coagulate, leading to internal bleeding as well.
Snakes: Russel's viper venom is of this category
Neurotoxic Venoms: They affect the central nervous system and brain. They often result in respiratory paralysis and heart failures. Their effect can range between mild seizures to death. The milder symptoms are dizziness, tunnel vision, blurred vision and increased sweating.
Snakes: Cobras, mambas, sea snakes, kraits and coral snakes have this type of venom, but king cobras are its most infamous carriers
Cytotoxic Venoms: This generally targets specific muscle groups. This is a cell-destroying poison that destroys everything in its path, blood vessels, cells and tissues. There is intense pain in the bitten area and swelling increases with time
Snakes: Lance-headed vipers