‘Killed it on the spot': Infant bites cobra to death after it coiled around his hands
The one-year-old boy, identified only by his first name Govinda, bit the cobra while he was playing at his home in the small town of Bettiah near the Indo-Nepal border, according to local news reports.
"When we saw the snake in the child's hand, everyone rushed towards him, but in the meantime, he already bit the snake, killing it on the spot," the child's grandmother told local news.
After biting the snake, the boy fainted and was rushed to a primary health care centre for initial treatment, after which he was taken to the town's Government Medical College Hospital (GMCH).
'The boy, Govind Kumar, was referred here yesterday by the primary health centre close to his village where he was rushed by family members after he fainted soon after chewing on the live snake,' hospital superintendent Duvakant Mishra told Indian Express.
The venom's effects were reportedly mild, only knocking the boy unconscious, but not fatal.
"Timely treatment saved Govinda's life," Saurabh Kumar, a doctor of the government hospital, told the Times of India.
"The child's condition is currently stable and treatment is being administered under the supervision of doctors. The medical team is treating the child, providing continuous medication, and he is under observation,' Dr Kumar said.
Govinda reportedly is being closely monitored at GMCH Bettiah with treatment for poisoning expected to start if he started showing any symptoms, according to local news reports.
India has around 300 species of snakes, including 60 highly venomous snakes such as the Russell's vipers, kraits, and the saw-scaled viper, which are responsible for most of the bite-related deaths.
The Indian cobra completes this list of the "big four" species responsible for the most snakebites in India.
The country recorded over a million snake bite deaths in just two decades from 2000-19, according to a study published in 2020 in the journal eLife.
More than two-thirds of the recorded deaths came from eight of India's 28 states, including Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh.
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Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Yahoo
‘Killed it on the spot': Infant bites cobra to death after it coiled around his hands
An infant in the northern Indian state of Bihar reportedly bit a cobra to death after it coiled around his hands. The one-year-old boy, identified only by his first name Govinda, bit the cobra while he was playing at his home in the small town of Bettiah near the Indo-Nepal border, according to local news reports. "When we saw the snake in the child's hand, everyone rushed towards him, but in the meantime, he already bit the snake, killing it on the spot," the child's grandmother told local news. After biting the snake, the boy fainted and was rushed to a primary health care centre for initial treatment, after which he was taken to the town's Government Medical College Hospital (GMCH). 'The boy, Govind Kumar, was referred here yesterday by the primary health centre close to his village where he was rushed by family members after he fainted soon after chewing on the live snake,' hospital superintendent Duvakant Mishra told Indian Express. The venom's effects were reportedly mild, only knocking the boy unconscious, but not fatal. "Timely treatment saved Govinda's life," Saurabh Kumar, a doctor of the government hospital, told the Times of India. "The child's condition is currently stable and treatment is being administered under the supervision of doctors. The medical team is treating the child, providing continuous medication, and he is under observation,' Dr Kumar said. Govinda reportedly is being closely monitored at GMCH Bettiah with treatment for poisoning expected to start if he started showing any symptoms, according to local news reports. India has around 300 species of snakes, including 60 highly venomous snakes such as the Russell's vipers, kraits, and the saw-scaled viper, which are responsible for most of the bite-related deaths. The Indian cobra completes this list of the "big four" species responsible for the most snakebites in India. The country recorded over a million snake bite deaths in just two decades from 2000-19, according to a study published in 2020 in the journal eLife. More than two-thirds of the recorded deaths came from eight of India's 28 states, including Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh.
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Yahoo
‘Killed it on the spot': Infant bites cobra to death after it coiled around his hands
An infant in the northern Indian state of Bihar reportedly bit a cobra to death after it coiled around his hands. The one-year-old boy, identified only by his first name Govinda, bit the cobra while he was playing at his home in the small town of Bettiah near the Indo-Nepal border, according to local news reports. "When we saw the snake in the child's hand, everyone rushed towards him, but in the meantime, he already bit the snake, killing it on the spot," the child's grandmother told local news. After biting the snake, the boy fainted and was rushed to a primary health care centre for initial treatment, after which he was taken to the town's Government Medical College Hospital (GMCH). 'The boy, Govind Kumar, was referred here yesterday by the primary health centre close to his village where he was rushed by family members after he fainted soon after chewing on the live snake,' hospital superintendent Duvakant Mishra told Indian Express. The venom's effects were reportedly mild, only knocking the boy unconscious, but not fatal. "Timely treatment saved Govinda's life," Saurabh Kumar, a doctor of the government hospital, told the Times of India. "The child's condition is currently stable and treatment is being administered under the supervision of doctors. The medical team is treating the child, providing continuous medication, and he is under observation,' Dr Kumar said. Govinda reportedly is being closely monitored at GMCH Bettiah with treatment for poisoning expected to start if he started showing any symptoms, according to local news reports. India has around 300 species of snakes, including 60 highly venomous snakes such as the Russell's vipers, kraits, and the saw-scaled viper, which are responsible for most of the bite-related deaths. The Indian cobra completes this list of the "big four" species responsible for the most snakebites in India. The country recorded over a million snake bite deaths in just two decades from 2000-19, according to a study published in 2020 in the journal eLife. More than two-thirds of the recorded deaths came from eight of India's 28 states, including Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh.
Chicago Tribune
2 days ago
- Chicago Tribune
After Venus Williams' comment on health insurance, here's what to know about athlete coverage
Venus Williams' recent singles win at the DC Open showcased her longevity and brought attention to health coverage for aging athletes after a joking comment she made in an on-court interview. 'I had to come back for the insurance,' the five-time Wimbledon champion said after Tuesday's match, her first in 16 months. 'They informed me this year that I'm on COBRA, so it's like, I got to get my benefits on.' The 45-year-old Williams, who has won seven major singles titles, became the second-oldest woman to win a tour-level singles match in professional tennis. After losing Thursday, she acknowledged that her comment on health insurance was a 'fun and funny moment.' The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, more commonly referred to as COBRA, allows Americans to stay on their employer's insurance plan for a limited amount of time after leaving their job. It comes with high costs. Williams' comment led to questions about health insurance in the sports world. For most active professional athletes, partially or fully subsidized health insurance is provided by their league or governing body and guaranteed in their collective bargaining agreement. A CBA is an agreement reached between a league and its players that guarantees certain levels of player compensation and benefits and can be renegotiated every few years. So when athletes are playing, they're usually covered. But Williams, coming back to the sport after a 16-month hiatus, brought to light how long that insurance lasts — or doesn't last — for athletes when they're not playing. In the WTA, the governing body of the women's tour, players are eligible to enroll in the health insurance plan if they are ranked in the top 500 in singles or top 175 in doubles and have played a minimum of three WTA 250 level or above tournaments that year. If players are in the top 150 in singles or top 50 in doubles, the WTA will pay a portion of the premiums. If a player is no longer eligible under those requirements, they can enroll in COBRA for up to 18 months, which is likely the situation Williams was referencing. That is also the WTA's only option for retiring players. 'Nobody wants to be on COBRA, right?' Williams said after her second-round loss Thursday night. 'That remains an issue in my life. … Obviously (the interview was) a fun and funny moment, but it's an issue that people are dealing with, so it is serious.' The ATP provides health insurance to men's tennis players who rank in the top 250 in singles or top 50 in doubles. All other players with a ranking point are given the opportunity to purchase health insurance through the ATP's provider. For retired players, the only option is COBRA for up to three years. As an individual sport without a CBA, golf tours vary. A group insurance plan is available to active members of the PGA Tour, PGA Tour Champions (for golfers over 50) and the feeder Korn Ferry Tour. For players who meet certain 'performance criteria,' including how many tournaments they played and how often they won, the PGA Tour will partially subsidize the plan. In retirement, players are responsible for their own insurance. Some players join the PGA Tour Champions after the PGA Tour and play into their mid-60s, during which they maintain coverage. Top players can receive a subsidy from the PGA Tour in retirement. The LPGA Tour started offering its players fully funded health insurance for the first time this year. Before this year, players were given a $4,000 stipend. NBA players have access to one of the most inclusive insurance plans in retirement. If they played at least three years in the league, retired NBA players are eligible for fully funded health insurance in retirement, and if they played at least 10 years, they will have health care covered for their entire family. WNBA players are fighting for retirement health care as part of their new CBA, which they are currently negotiating with the league. Those negotiations have been heated, and the most recent meeting between the sides last weekend did not result in an agreement. One unique facet of the WNBA's healthcare is that athletes who have spent more than eight years in the league can be reimbursed up to $20,000 a year for costs related to adoption, surrogacy, egg freezing or additional fertility treatments. The NFL has less long-term coverage for retirees than most other leagues. Athletes who played in the league for at least three years can remain on the NFL health insurance plan but only for five years into retirement. NHL players who have played more than 160 games in the league — about two seasons — are eligible to buy NHL health insurance for their retirement. The retirement insurance plan is eligible for partial subsidization from the league. Baseball players who spent at least four years in the majors have the option to pay premiums to stay on the MLB's health care plan indefinitely. Minor-league baseball has its own separate CBA, which also guarantees health insurance for active players. In the minors, however, players who get cut or leave the league lose coverage at the end of that month.
