Woman bitten by snake, airlifted to Lae

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By EREBIRI ZURENUOC
A WOMAN bitten by a snake on Tuesday was airlifted to Lae yesterday by Manalos Aviation Limited from her village in Menyamya.
Salina Gedisa, 20, was bitten by the snake at 8pm on Tuesday and began experiencing neuromuscular failure.
Health extension officer of the Manolos Aviation Medevac Pendek Sitong said Gedisa was very sick when the helicopter arrived at Menyamya. “She was at the Menyamya Health Centre when we got information for the emergency medevac. The health centre doesn’t have the anti-venom or polyvalent snake antivenom,” she said.
“She was already developing signs of poisoning. Her eyelids were drooping and she had slurred speech. I administered anti-venom before we left the health centre.”
Gedisa was taken to the Angau Hospital around noon yesterday. The venom of a death adder is largely neurotoxic and will affect the human body within 24 hours.
It can kill a human being.
Chief executive officer Jürgen Ruh said about six cases of snake-bite victims were airlifted to hospitals in a year.
“Medevacs for snakebites are treated as extreme emergency because the venom spreads quickly when inside the human body,” he said.