Boy, 3, survives bite from venomous snake

Nov 13, 2016 News

By Feona Morrison

A three-year-old boy has survived a bite from a poisonous snake said to be a labaria, and his family is praising medical officials at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH), for his speedy recovery.

Ezra Samuels posing for a photo on his hospital bed.

Ezra Samuels, of Paramakatoi Village, Region Eight ,was bitten on the heel of his left foot by the venomous snake on October 26, while he was making his way home from the Mountain Foot Primary School.
He is currently a patient at the Pediatric Ward.
When Kaieteur News visited the lad yesterday, he was surrounded by relatives, including his father Elvis Samuels, who has been sleeping at his bedside ever since he was admitted to the hospital.
Ezra Samuels’s school is located about an hour away from his home. And according to his aunt, the only way to get there is by foot, since vehicles do not traverse the area.
She said that her nephew was walking home from school in the company of his three older siblings when he stepped on the reptile and was bitten.
The woman added that after the siblings heard the little boy screaming, they ran to his aid. One of the siblings lashed the snake continuously with a piece of wood and killed it before rushing the child back to the Nursery School, where they boarded an All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) and rushed him to a nearby health centre.
However, before doing all this, the aunt related that Ezra’s older brother sucked the venom from out of his foot.
The incident occurred around 16:00hrs that day. Ezra never reached the health centre until 19:00hrs because of its distant location.
The following day, the child was air dashed to the city with his father and admitted to the GPH.
Doctors have seen major improvements in his conditions and family members were informed that Ezra could be discharged this week.
However his aunt recalled a story of how she sat and watched her nephew crying out in pain.
“When he (Ezra) come here (GPH) the venom had already travelled to his lungs and he use to get a hard time breathing. His entire body was swollen and he used to be spitting blood. The doctors gave him oxygen and saline. They used to feed him from a tube.”
She continued, “Is only last week he start back eating. He does not want his dad to go away. He does cry.”
Being the loving man he is, the older Samuels, a father of six, has taken up residence at the hospital; at least until his son is ready to go home.
He said, “I does sleep here every night.”
The father commended the doctors and nurses for providing exemplary health care to his child.
“I can’t complain. The nurses have been very nice to me and my son. I want to thank them. I also want to thank Minister Valerie Garrido-Lowe, she visited him and brought toys and clothing.”
Little Ezra was all smiles. It was heartwarming to watch him sit and feed himself and also play with toys, although he is still unable to walk without support.
Yesterday, in a FaceBook post Garrido Lowe, the Minister of Indigenous People Affairs highlighted that she visited Ezra and several other children in the Pediatric Ward.
In her post the Minister said, “I am so happy he is alright now. He was very excited with his gifts. His father looked after him all the time and I thank the sisters and nice nurses for the wonderful job they are doing.”
While Ezra’s aunt admitted that snake bites occur in the village, she said that elders would advise children to be careful. She also disclosed that the boy’s younger sister was bitten by a snake a few years ago and survived.

Discover more from Kaieteur News

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Latest News