A British father is suffering from blindness and paralysis in a hospital in India after being bitten by a snake while battling coronavirus, his family have said.
Ian Jones was in intensive care on Friday after being bitten by a black king cobra in a village in the north west of the country.
His son said the former healthcare worker had already experienced malaria and dengue fever during his few months in the country, where he has been running Sabirian, a charity-backed social enterprise aimed at helping people trade their way out of poverty.
His family, who live with him on the Isle of Wight, told of their shock at what had happened in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. They described Mr Jones as a “fighter”, saying they hope the blindness and paralysis are temporary.
Mr Jones’s son Seb despite his illnesses he had “remained resolute in his determination to stay in the country and continue his work to help the people that needed his support”.
He said: “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 snakebite on top of all that he had been through, we honestly could not believe it.
“It really has been touch and go, he is stable at the moment although he has paralysis in his legs and blindness, both of which we hope is temporary, but it is clear he is going to need to remain in hospital out there for some time to come.
“We are extremely grateful to his colleagues there who have been brilliant and rallied around him in his time of need, as indeed he did for them.”
Community Action Isle of Wight, which owns Sabirian, has set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds to cover Mr Jones’s medical costs and in the hope he can eventually be transported home.
Sabirian helps some 70 Indian craftspeople aged between 18-87 by providing training to import and sell their crafts and furniture in the UK in a sustainable and ethical way.