Brit dad is ‘totally blind’ and wheelchair-bound just days after being bitten by King Cobra as he battled Covid
A BRITISH dad is “totally blind” and wheelchair-bound after he was bitten by a King Cobra snake while battling coronavirus.
Ian Jones, 49, was just 30 minutes from death after he was bitten on the arm by the venomous reptile in an Indian village.
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Charity CEO Mr Jones, from the Isle of Wight, was in a coma and loved ones said it was “touch and go” whether he would recover.
He is now awake but his charity today revealed he has paralysis in his legs and cannot see as a result of the Cobra’s venom.
Colleagues revealed the dad-of-two was “relaxing” at his charity Sabirian's workplace near Jodhpur, Rajasthan, when the black hooded cobra bit his lower arm and hand.
WHEELCHAIR-BOUND
At the time of the bite, he was battling his second bout of coronavirus after first catching the killer bug back in March.
Mike Bulpitt, who has worked with Mr Jones for six years, said the snake bite “exacerbated” his Covid-19 symptoms.
His charity set up a to raise funds to pay for his care and today revealed he is confined to a wheelchair.
An update on the site read: “While Ian is out of hospital he is not out of the woods yet.
“He has paralysis in his legs and is therefore confined to a wheelchair and he is also totally blind, both as a result of the Cobra venom, which is extremely frightening for him.
“We take some comfort though from the fact that he is back amongst more familiar surroundings and with his beloved dog Rocky and able to enjoy some cuddles again.
He has paralysis in his legs and is therefore confined to a wheelchair and he is also totally blind, both as a result of the Cobra venom, which is extremely frightening for him
GoFundMe page
“We are doing everything we can to try and bring him home so he can continue his recovery here with us and we will keep you posted on his progress. Thank you again for all your support and donations.”
Colleague Mr Bulpitt told The SunOnline: "Ian was just relaxing at the charity workplace when he was bitten between his lower arm and hand by the Cobra.
“He was already feeling a little under the weather before the bite which, without treatment, you can die from within 30 minutes.
“The venom from the bite can kill an elephant, and it must have allowed the virus to re-establish itself.
'TOTALLY BLIND'
“The snake bite caused the Covid symptoms to exacerbate, and he fell in and out of a coma for the next two or three days.”
The family of Mr Jones, who lives with his wife and two sons in Ryde, previously said they “don't know what the future holds” for him.
In a statement, they said: "Ian has a long road to recovery ahead of him and we don’t yet know what the future holds but we remain positive and hopeful that we will be able to bring him home soon.”
Mr Jones, who helps poverty-stricken families, has already battled malaria and dengue fever.
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Ian's son Seb said: “Dad is a fighter, during his time out in India he had already suffered from Malaria and Dengue Fever even before Covid-19.
"And yet he had remained resolute in his determination to stay in the country and continue his work to help the people that needed his support.
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“He had not been able to travel home due to the pandemic and as a family we understood his desire to continue to support the many people who relied on him.
"We were naturally concerned about him though and then when we heard he had also suffered what is usually a fatal snake bite on top of all that he had been through, we honestly could not believe it.”
Just how dangerous is the King Cobra?
The King Cobra is one of the most venomous snakes on the planet and can literally "stand up" and look a full-grown person in the eye.
When confronted, they can lift up to a third of its body off the ground and still move forward to attack.
They can measure up to 18ft in length and can deliver enough venom in a single bite to kill 20 humans or even bring down an elephant.
King Cobra venom affects the respiratory centers in the brain, causing respiratory arrest and cardiac failure.
The snakes live mainly in the rainforests and plains of India, southern China, and Southeast Asia.
