Flooded farmlands in Aweil East County, NBGs. | Photo: Courtesy.

An eight-year-old child has died after getting bitten by a venomous snake in the flood-devastated Aweil East County of Northern Bahr El Ghazal state.

The County Commissioner, Kiir Yor Lual said the toddler identified as Ngor Dut, died over the weekend in Warnyan Village, a part of the county currently inundated by floodwaters.

Yor said the stagnant floodwaters have also displaced the snakes from their habitat to dry areas where people have sought shelter, exposing many to the deadly reptiles.

“These are deaths related to floods, as a result of water-borne diseases or snake bite, I was reported a child that died was as a result of snake bite in the place call Warnyan, and this snake bite is now very common because areas that are flooded are full of snakes,”

Commissioner Yor also said cases of malaria and respiratory infections and other water-borne diseases have surged in recent weeks as floods wreak havoc across the county.

“This is one of the concerns that we are getting every day that malaria cases have shot up as a result of mosquito bites also.”

Cases of snake bites have risen in recent months in areas affected by floods in the Bahr el Ghazal and Upper Nile regions.

Last week, authorities in Ruweng Administrative Area reported that ten people died from venomous snake bites, while 50 others were hospitalized after floods struck the area.