The giant Cobra swallowed a man who tried to hide.

“Snakebite in this country doesn’t usually affect people of the middle and upper middle class. It’s a poor man’s affliction, it’s a farmer’s affliction.”

The infrastructure to deal quickly and effectively with snakebites is often inadequate in rural areas. Roads to the nearest hospital may be bad or non-existent, so ambulances may struggle to get victims to health centres. In remote hospitals, stocks of anti-venom can run low.



But the real problem, Mr Martin said, is a lack of awareness.

In villages where snakes are common visitors, victims tend to ignore bites, presuming they were bitten by non-venomous snakes. Often, they turn to faith healers or local medicine men instead of seeking prompt medical treatment.

Even more egregious, Mr Martin said, is how ill-equipped doctors and medical staff are to treat snakebite.

He recalled the case of a nine-year-old girl who went to a government health centre after being bitten by a Russell’s viper – considered one of the most dangerous snakes in Asia.