Snakebite and Their Types

Respected All,

Snakebite present major challenges to companies working in rural and far remote areas. Pakistan is facing severe energy crisis and maximum of its oil and gas reserves are from Khyber Pakhtunkhawa, Balouchistan & Sindh. The Exploration and Production (E&P) Companies have to cover miles for search of these resources and where they found some potential, they set up their temporary living camp and might stay there for as little as 2 months or as long as 1 year in search of oil and/or gas reserves.

Over the past half century the petroleum industry has played a significant role in national development by making large indigenous oil and gas discoveries. These sources are supplying oil + gas to consumption centers through 10000 Kms (approx.) transmission networks and 71,863 Kms of distribution system. This led to millions of man-hours spent in the most difficult terrains throughout Pakistan and snakebite is one of the most likely and biggest threat having severe consequences to the industry workforce.

Snakes are remarkable animals, successful on land (on-shore) and sea (off-shore), forest, grassland, lakes, and desert. E&P Companies are going in search of oil and gas reserves (believe me they don’t follow snakes around their facilities) but the snakes do like their company so they can find something fresh and new to eat. We are scared of them and they too are scared of us but our quest of oil & gas reserves and their to food help us to find each other most often.

There are 4 types of poisonous snakes in Pakistan.

1) Common Cobra (Naja Naja)

2) Common Krait (Bungarus caeruleus)

3) Russell’s Viper (Lundi)

4) Saw Scaled Viper

Their venom is a combination of numerous substances with varying effects. In simple terms, these can be divided into 4 categories:

1) Cytotoxins: This causes local tissue damage.

2) Hematoxins: This causes internal bleeding.

3) Neurotoxins: This affects the nervous system.

4) Cardiotoxins: This type of venom affects directly on the heart and choking it to death within minutes.

Bites by venomous snakes result in a wide range of effects, from simple puncture wounds to life threatening illness and death.

The biggest threat faced by E&P Companies is in search of reserves they have to live in far remote areas and survive with limited resources. A snakebite case is the one having fatal outcomes if gets delayed treatment. The journey wastes precious time to reach a suitable facility to get that treatment and many victims die during the journey (as the victim has no anti venom to rapidly neutralize the venom and no airway equipment to ensure they keep breathing during the journey and to deal with complications at local clinic etc etc).

First Aid to Save a Life (FATSAL) Pakistan in their next post will share what you can do to overcome this most high rank threat so we stay safe, works better, earn better and contribute our skills to help our country find more and more reserves and grow on strong lines.

To Your Health, Safety and Prosperity,

Faisal Javed Mir & First Aid to Save a Life Pakistan

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