A 39-year-old woman, Faith Umorin, has survived a snakebite after receiving five doses of anti-snake venom at the Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Edeoha, Ahoada East Local Government Area of Rivers State, the State Primary Health Care Management Board (RSPHCMB), has disclosed.
Recounting the ordeal, the board statement said, Umorin was bitten by a snake on August 24, 2026, while walking near bushes close to her home in Udebu community. Her condition worsened before her brother, Bright Umorin, rushed her to the health centre.
It said, a community health worker, Ege Rufus, and his team administered five doses of anti-snake venom alongside supportive care, with additional clinical guidance from the facility’s medical officer of health, Dr Onyeche.
She spent a night at the facility and was discharged the following day after her condition improved. She has since recovered and returned for follow-up care.
The treatment followed the board’s procurement of 500 doses of anti-snake venom in May 2026 for distribution to 200 primary healthcare facilities across the state.
The board disclosed that it also trained medical officers of health, facility heads, doctors, nurses and community health workers in snakebite management before distributing the medication.
Dr Onyeche said the training began at the board’s headquarters in Port Harcourt before being extended to healthcare workers in local government areas.
“At the conclusion of that step-down training, we distributed the anti-snake venom to them,” Onyeche said.
Umorin, who said she feared she might die after the snakebite, expressed gratitude to the health workers for the treatment and urged other victims to seek prompt medical attention.
“I will invite the person to come to the health center,” she said.
The intervention according to RSPHCMB is aimed at improving access to emergency snakebite treatment in rural communities through the availability of anti-venom and trained healthcare personnel at primary health facilities.
