Snakebite Classified as Notifiable Disease in Karnataka

 Snakebites are usually underreported in India and they should be reported. To make snakebite a notifiable disease there should be a larger volume of such cases to be reported. In this regard, the state government of Karnataka as an important step in ensuring a high degree of surveillance has issued a notification for all government with private hospitals and medical institutions to record details of patients undertaking snakebite treatment on the government of India’s Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP). The move comes in the wake of increased cases of snakebite in the state. In November 2023, Karnataka recorded 5316 snakebite cases in the first 10 months of 2023, which is 56% more than the 3412 logged during 2022.

Apart from the exact track of the number of snakebites in the state, this data uploaded on IHIP will also help understand any seasonal or regional variations and prepare a sufficient stock of antivenom for treatment. D.Randeep, Commissioner of Health and Family Welfare Services, said, “It will assist victims to get timely and faster care, also health care workers can administer anti-snake venom in a suitable well -apt way. We have made it compulsory for all healthcare providers to report each case, including deaths caused by the snakebites, to ensure the scale of the problem and that patients don’t deny treatment.” Director (Wildlife) at Humane Society International, Sumanth Bindumadhav said that this will help reduce the hatred between humans and snakes which will help to lead to fewer deaths of both.