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On June 15, 2015, the life of Shepchircher Kiplagat, eight years old, completely changed after a venomous snake stabbed her and paralyzed her on the left side, while her sister, Chollar, was two years old , did not have a chance to spend a lifetime.
"It was hard to know what was happening because the children were crying in pain," said the father of these girls, Jackson Chipkoy, 39, at AFP at his home in the small village of Ambosos, in the remote province of Baringo.
"We saw two bloodstains on his wrist, so we were able to conclude that they had been bitten by a snake."
Emposos has no clinic and the frantic father has struggled to find a motorbike to go to the nearest town, Marigat, 30 kilometers from the city.
When they finally arrived at the scene after a five-hour trip, they were surprised to find that there was no anti-toxin serum in the clinic.
They had to make another trip this time to Kaparnt, 40 kilometers from Marigat, to find that there was no stock of serum.
Eventually, Schipchircher was taken to a hospital in Eldoret, 90 km away, where she was treated for two months and suffered irreversible damage as she needed a wheelchair and her family would not. Had no physical ability to buy them.
Each year, snakes bite about 5.4 million people worldwide, including up to 2.7 million cases of poison, when they pass it between their teeth.
According to the World Health Organization, between 81,000 and 130,000 people die each year, while nearly 400,000 survivors suffer from permanent disabilities and side effects.
Snake venom can cause paralysis of the victim, preventing breathing, bleeding that can be fatal, chronic renal failure and tissue damage that can lead to permanent disability and loss of limb.
Most snake bite victims live in the tropics, some of the poorest in the world, and children are most affected by their small bodies.
The director of the Pew-Kane Center for Toxic Snakes in Watamu on the Kenyan coast, Royan Taylor, insists that the fate of victims such as Schipchircher and his younger sister can be avoided.
Even simple barriers, such as mosquito nets around the family, can repel reptiles, while easy access to qualified medical personnel and special antibiotics can save thousands of lives.
A recent study of more than 100 clinics in Kellivi province, southern Kenya, showed that 90% of medical staff were not trained in snake bite.
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