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2,981 treated for snake bites in Benue in 6 years

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2 years ago

TO GO WITH AFP STORY Picture taken on February 12, 2008 showing a close-up of an extracted drop of venom pending on a serpent mouth classified as "Jararaca" (Bothrops jararaca), at the Butantan Institute, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. This 100-year-old government-funded facility, the Butantan Institute, on the edge of the sprawling University of Sao Paulo campus, counts the biggest collection of serpents in the world. Near 75,000 are coiled lifeless into alcohol-filled jars in a vast storage room, a repertoire of biological information on South American serpents. AFP PHOTO/Mauricio LIMA (Photo credit should read MAURICIO LIMA/AFP via Getty Images)

A total of 2,981 people have been treated for snake bites in Benue in the past six years.

Catholic Bishop of Makurdi, His Lordship, Wilfred Anagbe during the inauguration of a New Ultra modern Laboratory at the Bishop Murray Hospital under the Makurdi Catholic Diocesan Global Integrated Health Initiative

Of the 2,981 people treated for snake bites, 64 people were reported to have died from snake bites between 2016 and 2022 in Benue State.

Also over 2,917 snake bites victims were said to have survived through treatment from the hospital between 2016 and 2022.

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The treatment according to the bishop is handled among the church in collaboration with Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom and Government.

According to the bishop, “the Catholic Church in collaboration with the state governor and state government have treated 2,981 victims of snake bites, out of this number, 64 deaths have been recorded while over 2,917 persons survived.

The bishop noted that partnership of government with the church for humanitarian services had helped to a large extent to save many lives.

He lamented the destruction of hospitals and schools belonging to the church in Agagbe and Udei in Gwer West and Guma local governments respectively by suspected herdsmen and threatened to institute cases against the herders up to the Vatican.

In his speech, Governor Samuel Ortom disclosed that over N680 million had been expended on snake bite victims.

He said, “Initially, my foundation was handling the snake bites before I became Governor. At a point I owed the Federal Medical Center, FMC, Rahama hospital and Bishop Murray Hospital 70 million and when I became Governor, through a State Executive memo from the Commissioner for Health, it was agreed to hand it over to State government which has expended N680 million.

” Government will provide Polymerase Chain Reaction Testing Machines, PCR Machines worth N20 million to the hospital.

“For me, it is a responsibility to complement what the Church is doing and there is a lot of benefits. It has been a potent instrument in helping me in adding value to human life.