Zamboanga City Medical Center records 34 snake bites

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ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 15 May 2026) – The Zamboanga City Medical Center (ZCMC) has recorded 34 snake bite incidents from January to the first week of May this year.

Dr. Fatima Ayessah Ingkagan, head of the ZCMC Toxicology Specialty Center, said in an interview that the snakebite victims came from different provinces across the Zamboanga Peninsula, as well as from Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi.

A total of 156 cases were reported to the center in 2025.

So far, the only reported mortality came from Siay, Zamboanga Sibugay, in 2023.

“These cases are alarming kahit pakonti-konti lang (even if they’re not frequent) as compared to other provinces,” Ingkagan said.

Based on ZCMC’s data, snakebite incidents have consistently ranked as the top case handled by the Toxicology Specialty Center for many years.

Ingkagan advised snakebite victims to immediately bring the patient to the nearest Poison Control Center for an antivenom shot. As first aid, however, she said the wound should only be washed with soap and clean water.

“Others apply oil, others use garlic. There are also those who open the bite using a knife. These are not advisable and unsafe,” she said in mixed Filipino and English.

She advised attaching a splint to avoid unnecessary movement of the affected limb.

Common symptoms experienced by snakebite victims include drowsiness and difficulty keeping the eyes open due to paralysis caused by the venom. In extreme cases, the patient may need to be intubated.

Most of the snakebite incidents involved cobras, which come out of their hiding spots during extreme heat.

Early this month, a 5-year-old Belgian Malinois named Bella was bitten by a cobra that managed to enter the dog’s cage in Barangay Zambowood in this city.

The owner Angelica Yanos said Bella was barking restlessly, prompting her to check on the dog.

Angelica said she saw Bella fighting the cobra measuring at least one-meter long. Bella killed the snake but also sustained three bite marks near the eye.

“Worried gayod yo, ya lleva yo con ele dayun na vet. Habla el vet, ya abaja gayod su heart rate,” Angelica said over the phone.

(“I was really worried, so I rushed her to the vet. The vet said her heart rate had dropped to a critical level.”)

Bella returned home after two days.

Ingkagan advised the public to immediately call the barangay, which usually has a rescue team for such cases, the Bureau of Fire Protection, or the Poison Control Center hotline if a snake is sighted in their vicinity.

“Please do not approach, do not try to catch and cage it, and do not kill it,” she said. (Queenie Casimiro/MindaNews)