5-Year-Old Boy Paralyzed And In Coma After Being Bitten By Deadly Snake, Miraculously Recovers

A 5-year-old boy, who was in coma after being bitten by a venomous snake, has made a miraculous recovery. The incident took place in the southern Indian state of Karnataka.

The boy, identified as Nischit Gowda, accidentally stepped on an Indian krait while entering his home in Hassan district on July 26. Unfortunately, the victim slipped into coma on the way to the nearby hospital. After the doctors expressed their inability to treat him, the parents rushed him to Aster CMI Hospital in Bangalore, which is a three-hour ride from Hassan.

However, by the time the victim reached the Bangalore hospital, he became completely paralyzed and was immediately admitted to the intensive care unit and put on life support. The doctors then administered anti-snake venom and gave him medication to reverse the paralysis, local daily Times of India reported.

Thanks to the efforts of the doctors, the boy slowly regained consciousness and started showing slight movements. Within the next two weeks, the boy broke out of his paralysis. Following three more weeks of treatment, the boy recovered.

"As he is a young child, the venom transfer and fast heartbeat cause rapid spread of venom. Children bitten by Kraits manifest with breathlessness and respiratory paralysis very fast," Dr. Chetan Ginigeri, who treated the boy said, APN News reported. "By the time the child presented to us – he was very sick, and was in coma with complete paralysis. He required complete respiratory and other organ support along with nutritional rehabilitation to allow a very slow yet complete recovery. Multiple teams including Pediatric ICU, respiratory therapists, physiotherapy and Nutritionists played a key role in this recovery."

In the meantime, the hospital collaborated with a crowdfunding platform to cover his treatment cost and $5,500 was collected.

"COVID pandemic situation made the fundraising unpredictable. But to the child’s resilience and luck, he did not have any major complications and the Crowdfunding campaign was well supported. It was very difficult for us to ensure his survival but we are glad that with our conscious effort we were able to save his life," the doctor said, APN News reported.