Maha govt makes snakebite notifiable disease, reporting of cases compulsory

The move comes after three tribal schoolgirls died and three others were hospitalised after a venomous snake bit them at a state government-aided residential school in Gadchiroli on Aug 9

The Maharashtra government has declared snakebite a notifiable disease, making it mandatory for all hospitals, medical colleges and healthcare professionals to report every suspected or confirmed case and death.

The move comes after three tribal schoolgirls died and three others were hospitalised after a venomous snake bit them at a state government-aided residential school in Japtalai village of Gadchiroli district on August 9. The government later cancelled the school's license.

Informing about the government's decision, Health Minister Prakash Abitkar on Tuesday said the move will help strengthen monitoring of snakebite cases, ensure timely treatment and improve planning for the availability of anti-snake venom (ASV).

 

The decision would make snakebite prevention and treatment more systematic, prompt and effective, he added.

Under the notification, every health institution and medical practitioner will have to report snakebite cases to the district health officer or district surgeon concerned. Serious or fatal cases will have to be reported immediately through available communication systems.

The cases will be recorded through the Health Management Information System, Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme or any other reporting system specified by the government, helping create updated and reliable data on snakebites in the state.

The notification provides for a nodal mechanism from the state to district level for prevention and control of snakebites.

The director (hospitals) will oversee the mechanism at the state level, while district surgeons and health officers will act as nodal officers at the district level. In municipal corporation areas, the medical health officer or additional medical health officer will be designated as the nodal officer.

Health institutions treating snakebite patients will also have to maintain updated records of ASV received, used and available in stock. This is aimed at ensuring adequate supplies in areas reporting a higher incidence of snakebites.

Patient records will include details such as the date and place of the bite, age and gender of the patient, circumstances of the incident, symptoms of envenomation, treatment administered, number of ASV vials given, referral details, treatment outcome and, in case of death, details of the fatality.

The government will study the location, circumstances, season and other factors associated with snakebite incidents and deaths to formulate local preventive measures, the minister said.

District health authorities will be responsible for creating awareness about snakebite prevention, immediate reporting, first aid, timely referral and appropriate treatment. Treatment and management of snakebite cases will have to follow guidelines issued from time to time by the Centre, Maharashtra government or other competent authorities, the notification said.

Earlier, Abitkar said in the state assembly on July 1 that the government would consider a proposal to establish a regional snake venom collection bank.

He had stressed that awareness and timely treatment were among the most effective measures to reduce deaths from snakebites.

According to the minister, deaths from snakebites were around 0.1 per cent and that many fatalities occurred due to fear and delayed treatment rather than the venom itself. He stressed the importance of providing medical care to victims during the "golden hour" (first 60 minutes after a snakebite incident).

BJP MLA Vikram Pachpute had said the issue was not merely about the availability of anti-venom, but also its effectiveness, noting Maharashtra has several species of poisonous snakes and that venom composition can vary across regions even within the same species.