An unidentified 13-year old girl is battling for her life after she was bitten by a snake a month ago. The girl who hails from Venezuela is suffering from severe necrosis due to impaired circulation in her legs due to snake bite. Apparently, the snake's bite damaged her arteries making blood supply too little for her cells to survive. Also, the snake's venom caused damage to the arteries, vessels and tissues.
The girl is from a far flung area in Venezuela where they still believe in home remedies. For a month after the snake bite, she underwent series of treatment implemented by their culture like home remedies and herbal medicines. However, these did not cure the poor child's condition. When all else failed, they brought her to Carcaras, Venezuela to seek for medical treatment.
According to Dr. Arun Ghosh, a doctor from Liverpool, the girl needs her leg to be amputated to decrease the chances of having more parts of her body suffer from necrosis which is called Rhabdomyolysis. Furthermore, it can lead to more fatal complications such as kidney failure, low blood pressure and worse, death.
The venom of the snake is poisonous and can cause many complications. Anti-venom drugs are required in order to prevent complications. However, since she was treated with herbal remedies, they are more of antimicrobial rather than anti-venom.
The video of the girl has become viral as more people become aware of what snake bites can actually do to the body. Proper and immediate medical attention is needed for such cases in order to prevent damage to tissues of the body especially the affected part. Necrosis is a serious body condition wherein the tissues and cells of the body are not receiving the proper oxygenation and nutrients from the blood. Cell death can lead to serious conditions.