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Mikayla Robbertse, the pre-schooler who was bitten by a cobra before Christmas, underwent surgery on Wednesday to remove muscle from her arm, and will undergo more surgery over the weekend.
“It was worse than we had hoped,” said her grandmother Charmaine Robbertse on Wednesday after the five-year-old came out of surgery at Steve Biko Academic Hospital.
“They (doctors) had to remove muscle from her hand and her arm up to the elbow, they said the poison had eaten a tunnel through the muscle.”
Mikayla was bitten twice by a Mozambican spitting cobra on her grandparents’ Lephalele (Ellisras) farm 10 days ago. Soon after she went to bed her grandparents heard the little girl screaming and found the snake, which had bitten her on the hand and the elbow, in her bedroom.
Mikayla was initially treated at the Lephalele State Hospital. She was taken to the Netcare Montana Hospital and was transferred to the Steve Biko paediatric ICU unit last Thursday as the family does not have medical aid.
Robbertse said Mikayla had received three pints of blood and would have to have more surgery on Saturday to remove her middle finger. “They just could not save it.”
Mikayla’s grandparents have been at her bedside from early morning to late at night since her admission to hospital.
Robbertse said Mikayla was spoilt on Christmas Day with a constant stream of people bringing her gifts. “The people were being really kind, but we had to put a stop to visitors on Monday and Tuesday because she was exhausted.”
Mikayla was due to start Grade 0 next month, but the snake bite will delay her first day.
“I am sure she will catch up quickly. She is a very intelligent little girl and already speaks three languages,” said Robbertse. – Pretoria News
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Cobra bites cost child, 5, finger and muscle