Times Of Swaziland: SNAKES GIVING DAGGA GROWERS TOUGH TIME

SNAKES GIVING DAGGA GROWERS TOUGH TIME
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Joseph Zulu on 10/06/2023 07:18:00


MBABANE – Other than having to play hide and seek with the police, dagga
growers have another nemesis – the black mamba.
It has been gathered that most victims of black mamba bites are people
cultivating dagga, and the biggest danger is that this is grown in areas highly
inaccessible by vehicles, as cultivation, transportation or handling of the herb
is illegal in the country. This results in dagga growers choosing places far
from their homes to grow dagga, meaning that when one is bitten, it is difficult
to get them to a health facility in time.
It has been gathered that dagga growers make their situation tough because when
bitten, they quickly move away from the dagga fields before calling the
emergency service, in an attempt to hide their dagga. This delays the acquiring
of medical care. The black mamba bite causes paralysis of the muscles, making it
difficult for the person to walk, talk or even breathe and then eventually,
death occurs by suffocation. Moreover, its bite can kill within 20 minutes or
more but this also depends on the individual.
According to the Eswatini Antivenom Foundation (EAF), the number of people
bitten by the black mamba was high among dagga growers.
Thea Litschka-Koen, who is the founder of the organisation, said many of the
victims revealed that they were bitten while in the dagga fields. Thea said the
foundation was mainly concerned about the health of the individuals and would
not go into detail about their farming activities.
Hospital
She said the reason dagga growers were victims was because they worked in areas
where snakes were common and that this was usually far from urban areas. She
said they usually arrived at the hospital in a critical condition because they
usually had to walk long distances after being bitten by snakes. Thea said when
one was in the bush and bitten by a snake, the first thing they normally did was
to try and run to the hospital. She said this was dangerous because running
could lead to quicker death because this made the blood move faster through the
body and at the same time transport the venom.
Thea said it was important for dagga growers to learn how to treat snake bites
and to understand places where they were likely to be bitten. She added that
they also needed to be prepared on what to do when one was bitten by a snake.
She said for black mamba bites, it was important to use a tornique. This
referred to the tying of the limb to slow the flow of the venom. However, she
said one had to be very careful how they tied and the type of material they
used.
She warned that shoe laces or wires should not be used as they could damage body
tissue. “Use a wider cloth like a tie, leg of a pair of trousers or even
shirt,” she said. Thea said once a person was tied, they needed to be taken to
a health facility quickly and best if they could be lifted. Also, Thea revealed
that the victims of the black mamba bites were usually teenage males to those
around early 30s in age. He said this was because these were the most who were
working in the fields to fend for their families, but in the end they ended up
being bitten by black mambas.
Training
She also mentioned that the foundation was willing to provide assistance in
training the dagga growers so to prevent deaths. She said they could be taught
on the type of first-aid to perform when one was bitten by a black mamba. Also,
she said they could be trained on identifying snakes and what to do when one
spotted a snake in the bush. Though most people who get bitten by black mambas
survive due to the fast assistance by health professionals and EAF, some who
survive the bite have been left with permanent damage to their mental health.
This is because the venom causes difficulty in breathing, resulting in the blood
failing to transport oxygen to the brain.
Noteworthy, dagga in the country is grown mainly in the Northern Hhohho, some
parts of Shiselweni and also Manzini. Most of this is grown in mountainous areas
because the climate favours the plant and there is availability of water because
of the many rivers that pass through the mountains. Dagga growers also prefer
mountainous areas because it is not easy access for police officers.
Dagga growers who spoke on condition of anonymity said they were willing to
undergo training but were afraid of being identified. They said it would be good
to attend some workshops to learn how to handle snakes and that this could
reduce the number of the snakebites. Some of the dagga growers said the training
could go a long way in assisting them because in the dagga fields, even children
and women worked there. “They are also victims and they need to be
protected,” they said.