Durban - After initially showing signs of recovery, the pregnant teenager bitten by a snake has slipped into a coma.
Ncamisile Quill, 18, was hanging laundry outside her Hazelmere Road home on Wednesday afternoon when she was bitten by a black mamba.
Her sister Porsha said she had been doing well but her condition suddenly deteriorated yesterday.
“We were told she started vomiting again and she was transferred to King Edward.
“A nurse phoned me to tell me she is now in a coma and was breathing with the aid of tubes,” said Porsha.
She said they were not given any other information.
She said they were especially concerned for her unborn baby.
She will be visiting Ncamisile at the hospital today.
The snake, which is believed to have been almost 2m long, had bitten Ncamisile above her ankle.
Soon afterwards she started vomiting.
Frothing at the mouth, she was taken to Osindisweni Hospital for anti-venom before being moved to Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital for specialist care.
Spokesman for the Department of Health, Desmond Motha, said anti-venom was supplied to all public hospitals and doctors were trained in how to deal with such emergencies.
Should a patient not stabilise, they are then transferred to a higher level hospital for specialised care as Ncamisile was.