A woman in China’s Yunnan province ended up hospitalised with venom poisoning after trying to suck snake venom from her husband’s hand, a move she later said she learned from television dramas, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported. The incident occurred in Yuan Yang County, Honghe, when the old man was weeding in a field. The cobra struck him on the hand. The wound swelled almost immediately, and he soon felt dizzy and weak, a known symptom of neurotoxic envenomation.
The woman panicked and recalled scenes from TV shows where characters save victims by sucking out venom. Believing it was the correct response, she put her mouth to the wound and tried to extract the poison.
Shortly after her husband was rushed to the hospital, the wife began experiencing numbness in her lips and tongue.
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The sensation quickly spread to her face and limbs. The next day she, developed severe body aches and fatigue, prompting her family to take her to the hospital.
Doctors confirmed the husband had been poisoned by cobra venom. Tests showed the wife was also suffering from toxicity: the venom had entered her bloodstream through mucous membranes in her mouth.
According to the report, the medical staff warned that without prompt treatment, both faced risks of respiratory failure or life-threatening arrhythmias.
The hospital administered antivenom to the couple, cleaned and treated the wounds, and provided supportive care while closely monitoring their vital signs.
After several days, their conditions stabilised and both were discharged.
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Several experts have previously stressed that sucking venom is dangerous and ineffective. Individuals should never attempt to suck out snake venom, cut the wound, apply ice, or self-administer medication when bitten by a venomous snake.
This particular case was shared on Chinese social media and gained huge traction, with one user reportedly saying, “It taught us that what is played in TV dramas is sometimes not reliable.”
“It showed that the wife loves him very much after all,” another user noted.
