A snakebite that sparked a change, Pg7

Key Highlights:

• Kerala declared snakebite envenomation a disease of public health importance on October 10, 2025, following Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
• The declaration aligns with the National Action Plan for Snakebite Envenoming, aiming to halve snakebite deaths in India by 2030.
• SARPA (Snake Awareness, Rescue, and Protection App), launched in August 2020, has reduced snakebite-related deaths in Kerala from 123 (2018-19) to 34 (2024-25).
• Nearly 58,000 snakes have been safely rescued and released in Kerala through the SARPA initiative.

Detailed Insights:

• The Kerala Public Health Act, 2023 now includes snakebite envenomation, enabling better tracking of cases and resource allocation.
• The death of Shehala Sherin in 2019, due to a snakebite in her classroom, prompted significant infrastructural upgrades and safety guidelines in Kerala schools.
• Sooraj Kumar was sentenced to double life imprisonment in 2020 for using a cobra to kill his wife, highlighting the illegal wildlife trade.
• Kerala's high snakebite incidence is due to its dense forests, wetlands, and population, with about 5,000 cases reported annually.
• The SARPA mobile app connects people with trained rescuers and provides first-aid information, promoting scientific rescue methods.
• Increased hump-nosed pit viper bites are linked to shifts in agriculture, and current antivenom is less effective against this species.
• Kerala plans to locally produce ASV (anti-snake venom) to address the ineffectiveness of current antivenoms due to geographical variation in venom potency.
• Challenges remain, including clinical hesitancy in administering ASV and the need for better pre-hospital care and ambulance services.
• Changes in lifestyle, such as the elimination of open defecation and mechanised farming, have reduced human-snake encounters.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Snakebite Envenomation: The process by which venom is injected from a snake bite, causing poisoning.
• ASV (Anti-Snake Venom): A biological product used to treat snakebite envenomation, made from antibodies.
• Epidemiological Insights: The study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states or events in specified populations.