Jaipur: A British social worker has been coming to India to help local artisans through his charity organisation. In the process Ian Jones has not only combated dengue, malaria and COVID-19, he has also beaten the poison of a King Cobra.
On the evening of November 7, Jones, 70, was bitten by the cobra at a village near Jodhpur and was rushed to hospital. “He had blurred vision and was not in a condition to walk. Initially, we tested him for COVID-19 but it came out negative. After a line of treatment for snake-bite, Jones was back on his feet within a week. He was discharged November 16,” said Abhishek Tater, the physician who treated Jones at a hospital in Jodhpur.
As per information, Jones had been coming to Rajasthan to help local artisans sell their wares via his charity institute. However soon after his visit to India this year, he was attacked by dengue. Then, even as he was recovering from dengue, he fell prey to malaria. Barely had he recovered from malaria that he was in the grip of COVID-19.
However, he beat all three displaying indomitable spirit. In spite of the hindrances, Jones carried on with his work for the charity ‘Sabirian’. It is a social enterprise importing fairly-traded crafts. Working with artisans, he didn’t anticipate a King Cobra would also bite him.
As per the website ‘Gofundme’, “Ian suffered the potentially fatal bite whilst at his Jodhpur base, where many of the local craftsmen and women that Sabirian supports live and work. Ian had survived a COVID-19 attack in March, but in November the snake-bite took matters to a whole new level.”
Seb Jones, Ian’s son, said: “Dad is a fighter, during his time out in India he had already suffered from malaria and dengue fever even before COVID-19. Yet he had remained resolute in his determination to stay in India and continue his work help the people that needed his support.”
