Overview
- A 66-year-old woman in Alappuzha died after a spectacled cobra bit her near her home, and police counted it as the state’s fifth snakebite death this week.
- The boy in Azhoor who woke with a leg bite on Thursday died after referral to Thiruvananthapuram Medical College, and neighbors later found a spectacled cobra in the house.
- The child’s family alleged lapses at the Chirayinkeezhu taluk hospital, while hospital staff said care followed standard protocols based on his symptoms.
- In Kayamkulam, relatives of 42-year-old Salina said anti-venom was not given in time, the taluk hospital denied negligence citing no clear signs of envenomation, and police opened an unnatural-death case.
- State health authorities convened meetings and told government hospitals to ensure proper snakebite treatment, as experts warn hot weather pushes snakes toward homes and official data show at least 19 deaths in the past year.