Gov. Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State has released N5 million for procurement of anti-snake venom for the Kaltungo Snake Bite Treatment and Research Centre.

The state’s Commissioner for Health, Dr Ahmed Gana, made this known in a statement in Gombe on Friday.

He stated that the gesture was in response to the recent increase in the number of cases of snakebite and envenomation in the hilly areas of the southern zone of the state.

He added that “snakebite and envenomation are major public health problems in Gombe State, especially in the hilly southern region of the state, where the Kaltungo Treatment and Research Centre is strategically sited, and has been operational for over 80 years.”

He noted that the occurrence of cases of snakebites often peak during the rainy season, particularly affecting farmers as they engage in farming activities.

“In this vein, the governor calls the attention of the people living in the high risk areas to take precautionary measures and urgently report to the treatment centre in the event of snakebite incidence,” the commissioner said.

He added that the Ministry of Health would continue to engage in proactive measures toward controlling snakebite in the high risk areas.

He assured that the state government was committed to protecting the people from health emergencies.

Gana said that the centre would serve the people of the state and also attend to cases from Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Plateau, Taraba, Yobe, Nasarawa and Jigawa states for treatment.