Officials at the Warrap State Ministry of Health and Environment on Monday said three people succumbed to snake bites this month and 27 other cases of snake bites were recorded in August and September.
Abraham Akot, the director of the Gogrial East County Health Department (CHD), told Radio Tamazuj Monday that snake bites are rampant and that they are running low on antivenoms and antimalarial drugs.
He said some antivenoms were supplied by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) due to the inaccessibility of facilities.
“We received 46 vials of antivenoms and currently we remain with sixteen vials. 30 people were bitten by snakes and unfortunately, we lost three of them, two persons from Lietnhom and one person from Wutwut village,” he said. “We prescribe the drug to patients and let them go and buy them from private pharmacies which is a burden to some families with low incomes because we do not have antimalarial drugs. It is a situation that is completely hopeless and God is the only one helping us.”
Director Akot said four health facilities missed out on being supplied with drugs from the Health Sector Transformation Project (HSTP) which supplies medicines to health centers.
“The HSTP is the government aid with support from UNICIEF and GOAL and the facilities left out with infrastructures are Angernger PHCU, Ruot PHCU, Mayen Lual PHCU, and Mangol Apuk PHCC,” he added.
Akot said he wrote to the state headquarters to complain about the lack of essential drugs and is waiting for a reply. He added that the four health centers were supported by World Vision which pulled out and is now implementing a nutrition program, leaving the facilities To Whom It May Concern.
For his part, John Akol Akol, the Warrap State director for surveillance said floods force snakes to move to higher dry ground.
“The counties are covered by water and that forced snakes to move to high land where humans also stay and as of now, 25 patients are now admitted in Kuajok Hospital as a result of snake bites,” he stated. “Although WHO supplied antivenoms last month, we still have many records and some may die because some poisonous snakes can kill within 30 minutes even though antivenoms are there.”