China woman sucks cobra venom from husband's hand after bite to save him, gets poisoned herself

A woman in Yunnan, China, recently tried to save her husband from the venom of a cobra bite by sucking it out directly, and ended up getting poisoned herself.

She mimicked a rescue technique she had seen on TV, South China Morning Post reported.

She did not take any protective measures when she put her mouth to her husband's wound and sucked the venom.

Cobra bite

The man had been bitten on the hand by a cobra while working in his field, and soon developed symptoms: his hand grew swollen, and he felt dizzy and weak.

This caused his wife to panic and try to save him, but her attempt backfired.

Shortly after the husband was sent to the hospital, his wife also started to experience numbness in her mouth, tongue, face, and limbs.

Her condition declined, and she felt serious fatigue the next day, which prompted her family to send her to the hospital as well.

What the doctors said

At the hospital, doctors found that toxins from the cobra venom had already entered the bodies of both the husband and wife.

They were treated with anti-venom serum and other medication.

Days later, after their numbness faded and their condition stabilised, they were discharged from the hospital.

The doctors said it was a common misunderstanding that rescuers should suck out snake venom, as the capillaries in human mouths can allow the venom to quickly enter their bloodstream upon contact, causing poisoning.

The hospital staff involved in their treatment also reminded them that when someone is bitten by a venomous snake, they should be taken to a hospital immediately for safety and treatment, according to Jimu News.