SATV, Kathmandu, Feb.02: In India, a high concentration of snakebite deaths and injuries are reported in the central and eastern regions, says Dr Yogesh Jain, a GST member and a practitioner in the central Chhattisgarh state. He adds that people working in farms, including those from poor tribal communities, remain most vulnerable.

In 2024, India launched the National Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Snakebite Envenoming (NAPSE) with an aim to halve snakebite deaths by 2030. The plan focuses on better surveillance, improved antivenom availability and research, enhanced medical capacity and public awareness campaigns.

Experts agree it is a step in the right direction, but implementation has been inconsistent.

"In India, snakebites are seen as a poor person's problem," Jain says. "That's why there isn't enough outrage or action over these completely avoidable deaths. When it comes to treating snakebites, every second counts."

He explains that snake venom enters the bloodstream within minutes, attacking nerves, cells, or the circulatory system depending on the species. Delays in antivenom administration can result in respiratory failure, paralysis, irreversible tissue damage, or organ failure.

Yet, delays in hospitalisation are common in rural India where bad roads, far-flung hospitals and a dearth of ambulance services prevent timely treatment.

Last September, a pregnant woman in Gujarat state reportedly died on the way to a hospital after her family had to carry her in a cloth sling for 5km (3 miles) because no vehicle could reach their hamlet.

Jain says that some states are trying to improve access by stocking antivenom in primary and community health centres. But administering it correctly remains a major challenge.

Many health workers are not trained professionals and fear giving antivenom because patients can sometimes develop adverse reactions.

"The antivenom is mixed with saline and injected intravenously over an hour, but many centres aren't equipped to manage the side-effects," Jain says.

Another problem, he adds, is that many people in rural India still rely on faith healers or local medicinal practices and go to hospitals only when their symptoms worsen, which can be lethal.