Shankar Rai was asleep in his home in Samastipur district, around 60 miles north of Patna in the state of Bihar, when he was bitten by a poisonous snake. His last wish was for him and his wife to die together and remain together after death so he bit her in the wrist.
Two thirds of the total snake bites around the world occur in South Asia.
Subsequently, both fell unconscious. The two were rushed to the hospital where Shankar breathed his last, while his wife survived. Speaking to India Today, Shankar’s wife said: “He told me he loved me too much and wanted to die together before grabbing my wrist and sinking his teeth into it. I allowed him to do so.”
The doctors who treated the two said that they were able to save the wife because she could be treated on time. For the husband, however, the venom had already spread throughout the body.
According to the World Health Organization, more than two thirds of fatal snake bites occur in South Asia. Moreover, Christian Medical College Associate Professor Ravikar Ralph said that around 80% of the people bitten by snakes in India die before they can get to a medical centre.
80% of the people bitten in India by snakes die before reaching the medical centre. Photo: (New York Post)
He said that there was a need to stock anti-venoms in primary medical centres across the country, while the staff must be trained to handle such cases and the adverse effects of the anti-venoms.
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