MITHI, Oct 1: A girl student bitten by a krait snake a couple of days ago died while she was being taken to the Mithi civil hospital. She was identified as Darshana.

Residents of Malahnore Veena village told Dawn on Sunday that another victim of the poisonous reptile had survived after she was treated with traditional healing herbs.

The villagers urged officials of the Sindh health department to take measures for victims of krait whose sudden appearance in a good number had spread fear among people in several villages.

Councillor Genaram and other residents of the village said that they had so far killed eight kraits in the village.

Reports gathered by this correspondent indicated that kraits had appeared in Chhachhro, Chelhar, Bhorilo, Hothira, Railo and adjoining villages.

It may be mentioned that krait-bitten patients could not be treated at any of the hospitals in the sand-swept district because of non-availability of antidote.

Krait, bungarus multicinctus, belongs to brightly coloured and highly venomous elapid snakes of the subcontinent and South East Asia.

Bungarotoxin, each of three neurotoxins from the venom of a krait, separates it from other species of snake with a high degree of specificity.

It is generally believed that a krait crawls up a cot and spits its venom in the mouth of sleeping people. As a result, the victim instantly becomes blind and feels pain in his throat.

Villagers said residents of many villages had been passing sleepless nights due to fear of kraits which appear in night time.

They said that they keep kerosene lamps lit and scatter peeled onion on the floor or on cots because they believe that its smell keeps the snake away.

They said that as no medical treatment was available for krait bite, local people feed onion and alum to a krait-bitten patient.

It causes vomiting and the patient vomits out the poison from the body.

Non-availability of alum and onion in the villages is also a problem and in many cases the victim dies.

Senior doctors confirmed that they did not have the experience of treating a krait-bitten patient hence they could not say what actually was its proper treatment.