Snakebite Envenoming

• 09 Aug 2021

Why in News

According to a new study by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), India has the highest number of snakebite cases in the world, accounting for nearly 50% of the global snakebite deaths.

• Snakebite Envenoming (SE) is classified by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a High-Priority Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD).

Key Points

• About:
  
  • SE is a potentially life-threatening disease that typically results from the injection of a mixture of different toxins (venom) following the bite of a Venomous Snake and can also be caused by having venom sprayed into the eyes by certain species of snakes that have the ability to spit venom as a defence measure.
  • It is a particularly important public health problem in rural areas of tropical and subtropical countries situated in Africa, the Middle-East, Asia, Oceania and Latin America.
    
    • In these regions the risk of snakebite is a daily concern, especially for rural and peri-urban communities where hundreds of millions of people depend on agriculture or subsistence hunting and gathering in order to survive.
• Impact:
  
  • Many snakebite victims, mostly in developing countries, suffer from long-term complications such as deformities, contractures, amputations, visual impairment, renal complications and psychological distress.
• Deaths from SE:
  
  • Global:
    
    • About 5.4 million snake bites occur globally each year, resulting in 1.8 to 2.7 million cases of envenoming.
    • There are between 81,410 and 1,37,880 deaths and around three times as many amputations and other permanent disabilities each year, caused by snakebites.
  • Indian:
    
    • India has seen an estimated 1.2 million snakebite deaths from 2000 to 2019, an average of 58,000 per year.
• WHO’s Roadmap for SE:
  
  • WHO launched its roadmap with an aim to halve death and disability from snakebite by 2030.
    
    • In order to create a sustainable market for antivenoms there is a need for a 25% increase in the number of competent manufacturers by 2030.
    • WHO has planned a pilot project to create a global antivenom stockpile.
    • Integrating snakebite treatment and response into national health plans in affected countries, including better training of health personnel and educating communities.
• Indian Initiatives:
  
  • Much before the WHO roadmap was launched, researchers from ICMR started community awareness and health system capacity building from the year 2013.
    
    • They are continuing their work through a national study funded by the National Task Force on snakebite, ICMR.
• Concerns:
  
  • Unawareness among Communities:
    
    • Lack of awareness, inadequate knowledge of prevention of snakebite and lack of first aid amongst the community, as well as peripheral healthcare workers, delay in receiving lifesaving treatment, and non-availability of trained medical officers for management of snakebite contribute to a higher number of deaths.
    • Belief in a snake god, ability of tamarind seeds or magnets to reduce the venom effect were some of the superstitions.
  • No Information on Venomous and Non-Venomous snake:
    
    • There is no ‘IEC’ (Information, Education, and Communication) material available on the identification of venomous and non-venomous snakes in government healthcare facilities.
• Recommendations:
  
  • Curriculum on Snakebite Management:
    
    • The study has recommended the inclusion of snakebite management in the curriculum of training institutions of state public health departments in India, mandatory short-term training of medical graduates during their internship and also as a part of the induction training on joining state health services in India.
  • Multi-sectoral Approach:
    
    • A multi-sectoral approach of community awareness, capacity building of healthcare facilities for reducing the mortality and morbidity due to snakebite envenoming in India.

Source: IE