“Some 730 cases of snake bite victims have been reported in government hospitals from Jan 1 to April 26, 2016,” Health Minister Dr S Subramaniam told reporters here today.
He said so far one death had been reported in Kelantan.
The ministry has attributed the sudden spate of snake bite cases over the past few months to the hot weather.
The hot weather, according to the Meteorology Department, is due to the southwest monsoon and this has caused changes in the snakes’ behavioural patterns.
“This snake bite issue has been linked to the hot weather that changes the behaviour of the reptiles which need colder temperatures for shelter,” said Subramaniam.
The general difficulty in identifying the types of snakes involved, said the ministry, had complicated the hospitals’ efforts to treat the victims.
“The snakes usually flee directly after biting the victim. Successful identification can help the medical personnel’s efforts to treat the victims,” Subramaniam said.
There are two types of antivenom used to treat snake bite victims, with one being specific to certain types of snakes (monovalent antivenom) and the other being effective against several snake venoms (polyvalent antivenom).
However, the ministry has warned the public to not attempt to catch the snakes for identification purposes unless the snake is already dead, or the snake is caught by someone trained.
Subramaniam reminded the public that antivenom was constantly supplied to the ministry’s hospitals, with the antivenom being stored at 139 hospitals nationwide.
The ministry is currently working with the university hospitals and the National Poisons Centre to handle more complex snake bite cases.