NEW DELHI: India has declared snakebite a notifiable disease, which will help reduce the burden. The country contributes to nearly 50 per cent of global snakebite deaths and is considered the snakebite capital of the world.In a letter to states and union territories dated November 27, Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava urged them “to make snakebite cases and deaths a ‘notifiable disease’ under the relevant provisions under the State Public Health Act or other applicable legislation making it mandatory for all government and private health facilities (including medical colleges) to report all suspected, probably snakebite cases and deaths.”Though the Union Health Ministry has made the declaration now, some states, like Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, have already taken steps by declaring snakebites as notifiable diseases.The announcement has also come as the World Health Organisation (WHO) has set a goal to reduce global snakebite deaths and injuries by 50 per cent by 2030.Hailing it as a “landmark development for public health”, Dr Rahul Gajbhiye, Scientist E at Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-National Institute for Research in Reproductive and Child Health (ICMR-NIRRCH), Mumbai, said “This will help India to do better monitoring, respond to, and mitigate the effects of snakebites, which have long posed a severe public health threat, especially in the tribal and rural areas.”
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