Anantnag, Feb 18: Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) Department at Government Medical College (GMC) Anantnag successfully removed a rare 10 cm leech from the nostril of a 9-year-old boy on Tuesday, providing much-needed relief to the child.
Dr. Aamir Yousuf, HOD, ENT at GMC Anantnag, said that on Tuesday morning a 9 year old boy accompanied by his father was brought in to the ENT department with a complaint that the child had been feeling weak for a few weeks. And on Tuesday morning, they noticed something coming out of his nose.
“My resident, Dr. Krishan Jeet Singh, was examining the child and felt that something abnormal was coming out. Whenever we shined a light on it, it would move. I suspected it might be a live insect or something similar. We tried to examine the patient, and Alhamdulillah, we successfully retrieved it alive. It turned out to be a leech,” he added.
HoD ENT said that it was a a blood-sucking insect which was about 10 cm long. “In my 16 years of career, I have not retrieved such a large live leech from a nose of a 9-year-old boy.”
He advised, “Parents should observe their children closely, as some insects can be lethal. These worms are blood-sucking, and the child might be suffering from anemia. He was fine, but now, with the removal of the leech, he will definitely improve. Irritability is common in such cases, as the insect causes nasal obstruction. It becomes stuck in the mucosa and sucks blood, leading to pain, which explains the child’s irritability.”
HOD added that the patient was doing well and was thoroughly examined. “We will follow up with a review. We have kept the leech here and will send it to forensic evaluation. When we first retrieved it, we thought it might be a small snake due to the hood, but upon closer examination, we saw the sucker. We plan to send it to forensic experts for further evaluation.”
Meanwhile, Prof. (Dr.) Rukhsana Najeeb, Principal GMC Anantnag, applauded the ENT department for their selfless service to patients, catering to a vast area day in and day out with full zeal and efficiency.
