Tourist dies after mysterious bite in Sanya

A female tourist died after being bitten by an unidentified creature while walking back to a hotel in Sanya, Hainan province, according to a notice issued by local health authorities on Tuesday evening.

Sanya's health commission reported that the incident occurred early Monday when the tourist was bitten on the foot, drawing blood. After basic first aid at the hotel, she was taken to Sanya Central Hospital at 1:05 am, complaining of nausea, vomiting, and numbness in the right leg for one hour. She was then transferred to another hospital, where she died.

While the exact cause remains unclear, the victim's relatives said they suspected a snake bite.

The family has raised concerns over possible misdiagnosis and delayed treatment at the first hospital, as well as inadequate emergency measures at the second. Sanya Central Hospital was not among the city's three designated snake-bite treatment centers equipped with antivenom, according to a 2024 provincial health notice.

Local officials stated that they'd sealed medical records from both hospitals and convened a provincial expert team to investigate. Authorities met with the family on Tuesday morning as they worked to determine the exact cause of death and provide support.

Experts are divided over what caused the death. Chen Junbiao, head of the Wenzhou Snake Research Institute, said he preliminarily believed the tourist was bitten by a highly venomous banded krait based on her symptoms.

Famous medical blogger Baiyishanmao disputed the theory, arguing that the patient's recorded symptoms - fatigue, laryngeal edema, and acute upper respiratory infection - align more closely with a severe Type I hypersensitivity reaction, likely triggered by an insect sting such as a centipede, wasp, bee, or scorpion.