Snake bite kills child in Savar; shortage of antivenom worsens ordeal

PNN News Desk, Dhaka

A six-year-old girl, Shikha Moni, tragically died from a snake bite in Savar, Dhaka. On Tuesday (December 9), she was bitten while playing near her home in the Nama Genda Bottola area. Despite efforts to get her treated, urgent antivenom was unavailable, and she ultimately died at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Family members said that around 12:30 pm, Shikha Moni was playing in the grass near her home with other children when she was bitten on her left leg. She screamed and was rushed to Savar Upazila Health Complex, but after initial treatment, she was sent home.

As her condition worsened, the family tried to take her to Enam Medical College Hospital. Doctors there advised immediate transfer to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital. Despite traveling through heavy traffic, they were informed there was no antivenom available. The family then went to Mohakhali Hospital but again found no antivenom. Finally, they brought her to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 8 pm.

Her grandmother, Shahnaz Begum, emotionally said, “My granddaughter died because she couldn’t get proper treatment for a bite! In such a big city, there is no antivenom? Her mother is disabled and helpless, how am I supposed to report this?”

After her death, the body was kept in the morgue at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, and the police have been informed. Locals expressed outrage over the shortage of antivenom at major health facilities, warning that lack of essential emergency medicine could cause more fatalities in the future.