Nabarangpur tragedy: Infant, his sister succumb after snakebite treated with ‘superstition’

A tragic incident was reported from Rajpur village under Umerkote block of Nabarangpur district, where a venomous snakebite claimed the lives of two children late on Monday night.

According to sources, six members of a family were sleeping on the floor of their house when a snake entered the premises and bit a 9-month-old boy and his 11-year-old sister. Both children were lying between their parents when the incident occurred.

Taken To Faith Healer Before Hospital

Family members initially took the siblings to a local faith healer instead of the nearest medical facility, believing that ‘magic’ could help revive the children. However, their condition deteriorated rapidly during the night. They were later shifted to Umerkote Sub-Divisional Hospital at around 4 am in an 108 ambulance, but doctors declared both children dead on arrival.

Relatives said the family had panicked and opted for traditional treatment first. 

“We thought the healer would save them, but the situation worsened,” said Krusha Harijan, the deceased infant’s father.

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Health Officials Cite Delay As Cause

Nabarangpur Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO), Dr. Santosh Kumar Panda, confirmed that the deaths were due to delayed hospitalisation.

“The snake was identified as a banded krait, which is a highly venomous species. The family delayed in seeking medical treatment by opting for a superstitious traditional healer. There was about a three to four hour delay, which is a lot in cases like these. Had the children been brought to a health centre immediately, there was a strong possibility of saving their lives with timely anti-venom treatment,” he stated.

He further pointed out that despite repeated awareness drives, reliance on traditional healers persists in rural areas, often leading to avoidable fatalities.

“Several awareness initiatives have been carried out to ward off such superstitions, but they still prevail in remote areas of the state,” added Panda.