Teenager dies from cobra bite after seeking traditional healer instead of hospital care

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A 19-year-old man died on Sunday morning in Lohagara, Chattogram, after being bitten by a venomous cobra while he slept. The victim, Sohan Uddin, a resident of Mallik Sobhan village in the Amirabad Union, succumbed to the snake’s venom despite attempts by his family to seek traditional healing.

According to local accounts reported by Prothom Alo, the incident occurred around midnight on Saturday when Sohan was bitten in his home, which is located in a rural agricultural area. Sohan managed to kill the cobra immediately after the attack, but his family opted to seek assistance from two traditional healers, or “ojhas,” in the neighboring Satkania upazila. After undergoing a series of folk rituals, he was returned home overnight.

Sohan’s condition deteriorated rapidly by Sunday morning. His uncle, Borhan Uddin, confirmed that the traditional treatments failed to provide relief. Family members eventually transported him to the Lohagara Upazila Health Complex, where he was declared dead by attending physicians. His funeral was held later that afternoon.

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Health officials have once again urged the public to forgo traditional rituals in favor of immediate medical intervention during snakebite emergencies. Dr. Abdullah Al Ifran, the Lohagara Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer, noted that a lack of awareness often leads families to prioritize traditional healers over hospitals.

“If the snake is non-venomous, patients often recover on their own, leading families to falsely attribute the recovery to the healer’s rituals,” Dr. Ifran explained. “The true danger arises when the bite is venomous. In such cases, every minute is critical, and the only path to survival is transporting the patient to a hospital immediately for professional medical treatment.”