The Government has sought public comments on the much-awaited draft document ‘National Action Plan for Snakebite envenoming in India’ (NAP-SE) prepared with an aim to halve the mortality and disability associated with the snakebite envenoming by 2030 in India, thus echoing the WHO target.
As per the government data, every year, approximately 300,000 snakebite cases are reported, resulting in 2000 deaths annually. However, there is a huge gap between snakebite deaths reported from direct surveys and official data. As per research studies conducted in India, only 7.23% snakebite deaths were officially reported.
In such a grim scenario, the draft document serves as a blueprint for the states tackling this major public health burden that includes paralysis, haemorrhage, tissue damage and irreversible kidney failures; pregnant women are highly sensitive as haemorrhage due to venomous snakebite can cause miscarriage.
The stakeholders have been asked to submit their comment/objection by January 2, 2024, as per officials in the Union Health Ministry. The document has been prepared by the National Centre for Disease Control under the Ministry.
According to the officials, the NAP-SE is a guidance document for the states/stakeholders to develop their own action plan, specific to their needs and aims at systematic reduction of snakebite risk through sustained availability of anti-snake venom, capacity building, strengthening of health facilities and public education aiming to cut down the deaths and cases to halves till 2030.
A major public health problem in India’s rural and peri-urban areas, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Rajasthan, and Gujarat are among the high burden states with most vulnerable population being agricultural workers, herders, fishermen, children aged 10-14 years and people living in poorly constructed houses etc.
Children may suffer more severe effects, and can experience the effects more quickly than adults due to their smaller body mass. As per the document, most deaths and serious consequences of snakebites are entirely preventable by making safe and effective antivenoms more widely available and accessible.
India has more than 310 species of snakes, mostly non-poisonous. However, there are 66 species that are labelled as venomous or mildly venomous and majority of the snakebites result from four species, collectively named as “Big 4” species namely Russell’s Viper, Spectacled cobra, common krait, and saw-scaled viper.
The “Big 4” are not uniformly distributed throughout the country and their distribution pattern is dependent on multiple factors like habitat, rainfall, altitude, availability of prey etc.
In particular, there are certain species that are distinct to specific geographical areas and their venom is poorly neutralized by the available polyvalent anti-snake venom (ASV).
