India has largest snakebite mortality rate

Chandigarh, July 15: India has the largest number of snakebite mortality in the world and of the 2,50,000 snakebite cases annually, 50,000 deaths take place due to unavailability of anti-venom treatment in primary care centres. ''As far as treating snakebites is concerned, the Indian medical education is dependent on western books, Mr Ian Simpson, an expert herpetologists from Oxford University, UK said while speaking on management of snakebite cases at the PGI today.

''We don't realise that the kind of drugs and dosage for Indian snakebite cases will be different from the western countries because the species of snakes vary'', he added.

Mr Simpson, a member of the WHO taskforce on snakebite treatment, is collaborating with the Government to come up with a national protocol for snakebite treatment. ''If this is approved, India will be the first country to have a national protocol for snakebite cases'', he said.

Mr Simpson is also working with six state governments in India and conducting education programmes for doctors in primary health centres. ''Anti-venom is available with these doctors but they are not confident in treating snakebites and thus refer them to tertiary care centres,'' he observed.

Out of every 100 snakebite cases, 70 are non-venomous, he added.

Of the remaining 30, 15 will be of venomous species, which bite you but do not inject venom and in such cases, a tetanus injection serves the purpose, he said.

The rest of the bites require anti-venom and no other treatment, traditional or otherwise can help them, he opined.

UNI