ICMR takes up study on snakebite incidents in 13 states

India

pti-PTI

Shimla,
Aug
23:
The
Indian
Council
of
Medical
Research
(ICMR)
is
carrying
out
a
first-of-its-kind
study
on
incidents
of
snakebite
covering
13
states,
including
Himachal
Pradesh,
to
gather
data
on
mortality,
morbidity
and
socio-economic
burden.

The
data
will
help
in
the
framing
of
policies
to
prevent
and
control
snakebite
in
India,
said
Dr
Omesh
Bharti,
the
national
principal
co-investigator
for
the
study.

Besides
Himachal
Pradesh,
the
study
will
cover
Andhra
Pradesh,
Arunachal
Pradesh,
Rajasthan,
Maharashtra,
Kerala,
Tamil
Nadu,
Odisha,
West
Bengal,
Uttarakhand,
Meghalaya,
Mizoram
and
Tripura.

The
national
principal
investigator
of
the
study
is
Dr
Jaideep
C
Menon
from
Preventive
Cardiology
&
Population
Health
Sciences,
Amrita
Institute
of
Medical
Sciences
&
Research
Centre,
Amrita
Vishwa
Vidyapeetham,
Kochi,
Kerala.

Dr
Bharti,
State
Epidemiologist
with
the
Department
of
Health
and
Family
Welfare,
Himachal
Pradesh,
said,
“This
study
will
generate
real
data
on
snakebite
incidence,
mortality,
morbidity
and
socio-economic
burden
of
snakebite
for
the
first
time
in
the
country
to
help
the
decision
makers
in
policy
framing
to
prevent
and
control
snakebite
in
India.
The
country
still
doesn’t
know
the
real
snakebite
burden
and
is
hence
groping
in
the
dark
when
it
comes
to
policy.”

An
article
on
the
study,
‘ICMR
task
force
project-survey
of
the
incidence,
mortality,
morbidity
and
socio-economic
burden
of
snakebite
in
India:
A
study
protocol’,
has
been
published
in
the
international
research
journal
Plos
One
on
22
August.

Dr.
Bharti
said
the
survey
is
in
progress
and
it
takes
into
consideration
all
the
geographical
areas
like
hilly,
plains,
marshy,
desert
and
coastal.
It
is
the
first
such
study
design
for
the
survey
of
snakebite
incidence
in
South
East
Asia.

Sri
Lanka
has
done
it,
but
they
covered
a
population
of
one
per
cent
only,
whereas
our
study
would
cover
a
population
of
6.12
per
cent,
he
added.

Snakebite
incidence
study
is
being
carried
out
in
31
districts
in
six
geographical
zones
in
the
country,
including
West,
Central,
South,
East,
North
and
North-East
in
13
states.
Three
districts
of
Himachal
Pradesh
–
Kangra,
Chamba
and
Una
–
are
included
in
it.

Half
of
the
global
deaths
due
to
venomous
snakebites,
estimated
at
100,000
per
year,
occur
in
India.

The
only
representative
data
on
snakebite
available
from
India
is
the
mortality
data
from
the
RGI-MDS
study
(Registrar
General
of
India-1
Million
Death
Study)
and
another
study
on
mortality
from
the
state
of
Bihar.
The
incidence
data
on
snakebite
is
available
for
two
districts
of
the
state
of
West
Bengal
only,
he
added.

The
ICMR’s
study
protocol
for
snakebite
incidence
and
burden
mentions
that
the
hospital-based
data
on
snakebite
admissions
and
use
of
anti-snake
venom
are
gross
underestimates
as
most
snakebite
victims
in
rural
India
depend
more
on
alternative
treatment
methods
which
do
not
get
represented
in
national
registries.

Reports
suggest
that
only
20-30
per
cent
of
victims
of
snakebite
in
rural
India
seek
treatment
in
hospitals.
Under-reporting
and
lack
of
data
on
incidence,
mortality
and
socio-economic
burden
make
it
difficult
to
understand
the
true
impact
of
a
condition
on
the
health
of
a
population.

The
study
duration
is
for
18
months
from
April
2022
to
October
2023.