Woman in agony after snake bite 9 years ago

After being bitten by a snake in 2015, Elizabeth Joseph’s life has become a nightmare.The 43-year-old, who has had her left arm and left leg amputated, lives in constant pain as her remaining leg is swollen and bruised.“I do not sleep at night. I feel pain all over my body, it is like there is something burning in my body. I cannot take the pain any more,” a teary Joseph lamented.She said she was employed at a local recycling company at Omafo, and on that fateful day while sorting materials, she felt the bite.“I told my supervisor at the time about it and he insisted that I got bitten by a mouse. He said he will not allow me to go to the hospital, but my colleagues took me and I was admitted,” she said.She recounted that her left arm was operated on several times and it got to a point where it had to be amputated, a situation which spread to her left leg.“I lost my left arm in 2017 and then my left leg in 2018, and now my right leg is giving me sleepless nights,” she said.Difficult“Life has become difficult, as I can no longer take care of myself and my children. I have lost my friends, it is really painful,” Joseph said.She added that she sometimes has to hide the pain from her children so they don’t worry about her.The mother of four said while she is thankful for the social grant she receives from government, it is not enough.“I have four children, but we are nine at home. Some are my sisters’ children, but we all depend on my social grant,” she said.Penehafo Johannes, Joseph’s eldest daughter, said they have accepted their mother as she is, although things are difficult at home.“At the end of the day, she is our mother and we take care of her and support her where we can,” she said.Nothing to be doneJoseph told Namibian Sun that doctors from Oshakati State Hospital informed her that there is nothing that can be done to her right leg, and that she should not visit the hospital.Ohangwena regional health director John Hango declined to comment, adding that only specialists - who are very rare - can give specific information on what happens in a human’s body after a snake bite.

Woman in agony after snake bite 9 years ago

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Namibian Sun 2026-02-25

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Woman in agony after snake bite 9 years ago

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Namibian Sun 2026-02-25

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