Deadly Cobra Attacks, Meets Its Match as Boy Bites Back

In an unusual turn of events, a 12-year-old boy in India bit a cobra to death after being bitten himself by the deadly snake. The boy was rushed to a local health center, where he received antivenom for the bite, and has been discharged.

Deepak Ram said that he was playing in his backyard when the snake attacked him. "The snake got wrapped around my hand and bit me," he told local media. "I was in great pain. As the reptile didn't budge when I tried to shake it off, I bit it hard twice."

The bizarre incident took place in Jashpur District in the state of Chhattisgarh, known locally as Naglok—or realm of serpents—because of the abundance of snakes in the area.

Over 60 of the nearly 300 snake species that live in India are venomous. Between 2000 and 2019, the World Health Organization estimates, snakebites killed over 1.2 million people in India, more than in any other nation.

"The Indian spectacled cobra—Naja naja—is one of the leading causes of snakebite morbidity and fatality in South Asia," Timothy Jackson, a toxicologist from the Australian Venom Research Unit at the University of Melbourne, told Newsweek.

"Cobra venoms are diverse, but the most prevalent and perhaps most clinically important toxins are neurotoxins and cytotoxins," he continued. "That is, toxins which interfere with the nervous system—for example by preventing cell signaling—and toxins which destroy cells. As a result, the consequence of cobra envenoming most likely to result in death is neurotoxicity—paralysis.

"Cobra venoms may also cause horrendous tissue damage due to the presence of cytotoxins," the toxicologist said.

"The vast majority of snakebites to humans are defensive responses," according to Jackson. "Having said this, there are exceptions. In some regions—including in India and sub-Saharan Africa, both of which have major snakebite challenges—there are species of snake that occasionally bite people when they are sleeping."

He continued: "There is some debate as to why this occurs, but it seems that these foraging snakes, probably looking for small mammals like mice, enter homes at night and inflict exploratory bites on people who smell enough like other mammals to trigger a feeding response.

"Cobras are among the snakes known to occasionally bite people in this manner, although in India it is typically kraits that are the culprits," Jackson said.

To effectively treat a bite from the Indian cobra, antivenom must be applied immediately. Antivenom is composed of targeted antibodies that bind to the venom's toxins and neutralize them. "Once bound, toxins may be deactivated or simply marked for elimination by other components of the immune system," Jackson said.

Not every snake bite contains a lethal dose of venom. A local snake expert in Jashpur, Qaiser Hussain, told the Etemaad Daily News newspaper that the cobra had given Deepak a "dry bite," meaning no venom was injected.

"It's really impossible to say how common dry bites are or the circumstances which contribute to them," Jackson said. "Anecdotal evidence indicates that dry bites may be very common with certain species of venomous snake, but we can't say why or give accurate statistics. It's therefore best to assume that any suspected bite from any potentially venomous snake be treated as a life-threatening emergency."

To avoid snakebites, Jackson said, people should be aware of the species living in their area and "know enough about their ecology in order to manage interactions.... Not attempting to catch or kill snakes is also important.

"Unfortunately, snakebites will occur despite our best efforts, which is why it's so important to have appropriate antivenoms available, requiring the products to be both manufactured and effectively distributed," he said.

He also encourages "health-seeking behavior"—reporting to a hospital immediately—in at-risk populations.